


Road to Revenge

by KhristinaMargarrette



Category: One Piece
Genre: (minor) - Freeform, ASL Sisters, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Death, Death, Drugs, F/M, Fem!Ace, Fem!Luffy, Fem!Sabo, Female ASL, Female Ace, Female Luffy, Female Sabo, I will die like an idiot because no Beta, Killing, Mafia AU, Mention of Child Abuse, No Beta, Prostitution, Slavery, Slow Burn, Violence, mentions of the following - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:55:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 59,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26550106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KhristinaMargarrette/pseuds/KhristinaMargarrette
Summary: Gol D. Roger. A man feared by many especially by the World Government. A World-reknowned Criminal died alongside his family while resisting a warrant of arrest. Or at least that is how the public believed. Little did everyone know that his children survived, bidding their time, hiding in the shadows waiting to avenge the death of their parents. To carry out justice by hunting down the people who wronged their father.
Relationships: Eustass Kid/Sabo, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro
Comments: 55
Kudos: 129





	1. Summary

**SUMMARY**

**Ann x Marco**

Revenge. This is what is in Ann's mind, memories of the death of their parents is still fresh in her mind. She swore to hunt every single man who conspired to kill her father. And on top of her list is none other than Whitebeard. Killing a powerful man like Whitebeard is not easy but there is a way. And the key that holds to her mission is none other than Whitebeard's son - Marco.

**Sab X Kidd**

Kill or be killed, to hunt or to be hunted, this is the law in the underground world and Sab is the hunter who is chasing the culprits who caused her parents' deaths. But it seems that Sab must prepare herself to be killed and hunted down because Kidd Eustass, her ex-lover has been set free. She knew it is only a matter of time before he finds her, get his revenge against Sab who sent him to prison.

**Luffia X Zoro**

Luffia managed to build a mafia group strong enough to withstand rivals and their group is notorious for causing troubles with the World Government, so much that a special task force was sent to track and hunt them down. Luffia is supposed to get rid of the captain of that group, but it proves to be one of the hardest decisions in her life. Because the captain is none other than her best friend, Zoro.


	2. Mafia World

Grandline - a country full of flourishing cities full of establishments and business opportunities that stabilizes the economy's growth.

Just by looking at the establishments and buildings, anyone can say that this country has a lot to offer for people who seek jobs and find their footing in a corporate world. With the World Government at the helm of this nation, one would think that everything is going as perfectly as possible. That's when people are wrong.

Behind the buildings and the luxurious life that this nation can offer is an undeniable truth that everyone knows. The Mafia World.

As much as World Government wants to abolish the Underground world and its rulers, it's impossible, not when several groups are trying to climb the top to get the world-renowned title - Mafia King.

Several Mafia groups are hiding behind Grandline's biggest corporations making the World Government unable to fully utilize their manpower to arrest any of them. They have the power and the money to ensure that none of their illegal transactions are discovered. Without sufficient evidence, the World Government cannot make a move against them.

This is only true for the biggest Mafia groups out there but not for the smaller ones. Every day, the World Government are sending Mafia leaders and members to their prison cells and today is not different from those days.

Every day, the TV and newspaper contain information about Mafia groups that are sent to jail by the World Government. This should be good news to everyone else, but because of how frequent it is, people started seeing it as normal.

People know about the Mafia groups, it's no secret to them at this point as most of the businesses out there belong to them. Many seek protection under a certain group to avoid being targeted by others. They pay them in exchange for the protection the group can provide. This is how it works in this world.

It is either you create your own group to survive or live under someone else's. To kill or be killed. To hunt or be hunted. To fear or to fight. These are just a few of the unspoken laws in the underground world ruled by the Mafia leaders. Finding someone dead is a common occurrence in this nation. If someone got killed last night, everyone will know why. That person was killed by a mafia member.

Mafia Group's businesses usually involve several illegal activities such as firearms dealing, underground fighting arena, bars, cabarets, host clubs, and many more. But other mafia groups take a different route when it comes to their businesses and opted to deal with slavery, prostitution, and drugs just to name a few.

It is a battle royale of mafia groups, fighting over territories, and gaining an upper hand. With so many groups in Grandline, there are a few who were able to stand at the top of the food chain and the one who stood at the peak of this food chain is called Mafia King.

Several years ago, someone managed to snatch the title as the Mafia King - the king of all kings. If anyone ever asks who it was, they will immediately know. Even in rural areas where Mafia groups have limited access to, they all know who the Mafia King was. His name is Gol D. Roger.

This man's existence lived forever in the minds of everyone. Years after this death, no one can forget the legacy he left behind. Many rumors are surrounding Roger especially when it comes to his wealth.

Several years ago, the World Government declared an all-out war against Roger's Mafia Group. They risked everything they have just to arrest this man. Pieces of evidence laid before the public's eyes about Roger's involvement in an underground facility that deals with slavery as well as a laboratory that conducts experiments to humans sold as slaves.

There are several theories as to what that laboratory is for but none was ever proven. What everyone knows is that Roger is the mastermind behind this inhumane conduct. They all believed that only a madman can do this to humans.

World Government was quick to take action against Roger to arrest him for his heinous crimes. Years after Roger left Grandline, the World Government managed to locate him and sent several ships to surround the island he's staying at.

It was an arrest that Roger resisted. He was a madman through and through as instead of turning himself in, he decided to blow up the entire island, wiping it off the map of the world and this inevitably killed his family as well. His wife and this three sons.

When this news was published, many were shocked. How could someone do this to their own family? Yeah, maybe someone like Roger can easily do it without blinking. With the death of the Mafia King, the World Government set their eyes on finding the officers of his group only to find none of them.

They placed bounties on their heads for a long time but did not get any progress whatsoever. Within Roger's group, the World Government placed the highest bounty to Silvers Rayleigh's head - Roger's right-hand man and also known as Dark King in the underground world and also was considered as the brains behind the operations of the group.

Even to this day, 16 years since the Mafia King died, the World Government wasn't able to find the whereabouts of his previous members and they cannot commit all of their forces in doing so as more groups started to rise after the Mafia King's death.

They wanted the territories he left behind. They wanted the title that no one managed to get years after his death. World Government did not take this into account that his death will only add fuel to the fire. They thought that with his death, many groups will start to disband, but they're wrong.

"Earlier today, World Government officials have finally arrested Arlong's Mafia Group along with the Black Cat Mafia Group. All of their assets are confiscated by the World Government and that includes drug supplies amounting to at least 10 Million Bellies."

"16 years since the Mafia King's death, many are still hoping to get the title and dominate territories. But the World Government is keen on stopping this, dedicating all manpower and resources they have to start the process of targeting the Mafia Emperors' Groups such as Big Mom, Hundred Beast, Akagami, Blackbeard, and Whitebeard."

"With an arrest rate of almost 70%, many are expecting World Government to put a stop to all Mafia Groups that are still active even to this day. That's all that we could hope. Stay tuned for more information."

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

The news reached all over Grandline whose televisions are currently turned on.

Hearing the newscaster provide information, a brunette tall woman with grease on her hands just stares at the news portrayed on the television, clenching on the wrench in her hand.

She can only frown and glare at the words the newscaster mentioned:

Mafia King, Mafia Emperors, and World Government.

All of those words hold a significant value to this woman.

"You'll pay soon..." She muttered to herself.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

A blonde woman wearing formal office wear stops her hands from flipping the pages of the papers on her table in favor of listening to the news portrayed from the television.

She raises her eyebrow before frowning.

"You're all going to pay for what you did." She mumbled to herself before someone knocks on her door.

"Attorney Sab. The client is waiting for you."

"Alright." She said before standing up to attend the meeting. The television was turned off before she left her office.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"World Government is on the move against groups again. Even if they say that they want to target the Emperors, there's no way they can do in a blink of an eye." An orange-haired woman said after their group heard the news.

"They'll most likely target groups like ours." A blond-haired man said before exhaling a smoke of the cigarette.

"What do you think, Luffia?" A long-nosed, curly-haired man asks the person sitting on the couch, staring at the television.

"Not if they get targeted first." The words she said made the people in the dark-lit room stare at her in confusion but none dared to ask. They can feel the tension surrounding her and the weight of the words she said.

A storm is brewing and they might find themselves in the middle of this storm or catastrophe.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Finally managed to write the first chapter, although this is more of an introduction than anything.   
> Anyway, let me know what you guys think! 
> 
> Also, placed several warnings for this story. Although I am not a fan of describing violence that much so I will tone it down a little as much as I can. 
> 
> This is a slow burn, let me tell you. I am not kidding. I outlined till Chapter 28 and it's not even half of the story. So, most likely this will be around 80 chapters or so. Probably, who knows.


	3. Island

_"Are you sure we should be staying on this island?" Rouge's voice is filled with worry while carrying a three-year-old toddler in her arms._

_"Yeah, it should be safe for now. No one knows about this island." Roger said before looking down on two six-year-old twins who are standing by his sides._

_"Daddy, we're staying here?" The eldest of the three asked, head tilting on the side._

_"Yes, baby girl. We will. It might be a little difficult since we're the only ones here, but we should be able to manage." Roger assured._

_"No, it should be fine! The island is big and we can go on adventures!" The younger of the twin exclaimed while looking forward to the promising adventures they can do on this island._

_Rouge and Roger can only chuckle as they make their way towards a vehicle hidden in the bushes. It's a four-wheel vehicle that they can use in this kind of terrain._

_The family of five made their way towards a hidden villa in the forest where they will be staying. A villa away from the city and away from the world._

_Roger does not want his children to live like this but he has no choice. Until he has cleared his name, he can't possibly let his children be exposed to his enemies. Clearing his name might be impossible at this point given that it's not clear, to begin with._

_The drive only took them about an hour. The villa is well-maintained and hidden by the thick trees in the area. The inside of the villa is fully furnished, equipped with modern furniture._

_"Rayleigh had this ready for years now." Roger said the moment the children are not around. "I'm glad he had it prepared beforehand."_

_"He probably knows things will not go as smoothly as we all want, not when you managed to anger the World Government and the people behind them." Rouge answered while she's preparing the meals for their children._

_"It will be hard for the three of them had we stayed in Grandline. All of them will not stop until we are dead." The word 'we' does not refer to him and his group. He was referring to himself and Rouge._

_Being married to the Mafia King, Rouge is aware of the dangers it will place on herself. She's not the least worried about it. What she is worried about are her children. Even when Roger wasn't crowned as Mafia King, she knows that it will be incredibly dangerous. She could never ask him to throw everything away._

_No, she will never do that. She loved him the way he is and who he is. He was a Mafia leader even before meeting Rouge and that's part of himself. He was only a rising rookie when they met and throughout his journey towards the top of the chain, Rouge remained as his support, his guidance, and his inspiration._

_"Maybe it is a good thing that only a few people know about you." Roger said again._

_"Because you won't let anyone have that information." Rouge fired back, smiling as she did._

_Roger is possessive and very protective of her. No one in the group knows about Rouge except for the officers and a few trusted friends they have. Officially, there was nothing that binds them together - no marriage certificate whatsoever. What binds them is the love they have for each other as well as their three angels._

_Roger's protectiveness doubled when Rouge got pregnant 7 years ago. He did everything in his power to hide his children. He will never let anyone get near them no matter what._

_"How long are we going to stay here?" Rouge asks one time when they are sitting on the bench in the garden as they watch their children play on the ground._

_The silence that followed is expected in Rouge's mind. She knows that there's no definite answer to her question. They might find themselves on this island forever._

_"I do not know."_

_"I don't mind staying on this island as long as I have you and the children with me." Rouge truthfully answered. The city life could not offer her the happiness she can get from her family. She's willing to forget everything she had just to be with them._

_"And our children? As much as I want to protect them forever, I cannot do that. There will come a time that they must set out on their own, find their own path." Roger wanted nothing more than to let her children roam free, to do what they want and be what they want. Being on this island will not give them that._

_"That is true. They do not want to be caged after all." Rouge can see the fire in their children's eyes. It resembled Roger's own. Even at the tender ages of 6 and 3, they both know that these children will fly high, dream higher._

_"I won't be caging them with my name." Roger said._

_"Is that why you insisted on falsifying their birth certificates?" Rouge is talking about the false information they have on the birth certificate. Their birth certificates are indicated as males. Gol D. Ace, Gol D. Sabo, and Gol D. Luffy._

_Even though this information is hidden from the public, there's no doubt that the World Government will get it. To avoid any more complications and to cut off any form of traces, Roger did not put Rouge's name on the documents. World Government will continue guessing who the mother is._

_"Dada! Dada! I want food!" Luffia runs towards Roger, hugging his leg as soon as she arrived to demand food. She's a smart one, always asking Roger for food because she knows he won't deny her requests. A simple begging is all she needs before she can get Roger to follow what she wants._

_"Luffia..." Rouge's tone is warning her. She pouted before tugging on Roger's sleeves that just makes him laugh. But this laughter soon is gone the moment he received a call from his cellphone._

_It's a very old model and only used when one of his members calls him._

_"Excuse me. I have to take this call." He said as he places Luffia on his chair before he leaves the garden to seek a more quiet place to talk._

_The name Rayleigh appears on the screen._

_"Rayleigh..." He greets._

_"Roger. Did I disturb you?"_

_"No. Not really. Did something happened?" Rayleigh only calls when there's a need or an emergency. Their group officially disbanded the moment Roger left Grandline in favor of the safety of his family._

_Many did not like it, but the officers understood. They know Roger more than anyone else in this world. This is not because he is afraid of the World Government. This is not for himself but his family._

_Despite the disbandment, many are still in Grandline, staying off the radar of the World Government and living their lives the way they want to and still call themselves family members of the Roger Mafia Group._

_"They got Rowing." Rayleigh grimly said, sighing as he did. There's no need to question what Rayleigh meant with his words. It's as clear as the sun that Rowing - a member of his family is dead._

_"How?" It took everything in Roger to ask this._

_"Shot him in the head."_

_"Who?"_

_"It's unknown. He was found dead in his house in the rural area. From what I gathered, it was a clean shot, someone was placed there to kill him."_

_Roger can only sigh while clutching on the mobile device in his hand._

_"His house was also burned down. They're trying to make sure that any information regarding 'that' is gone, eliminated."_

_"And since they can't get to me, they're trying to eliminate the others?" there was nothing but hatred in Roger's voice._

_"Yes. But do not worry. We're working on preventing them from getting to you." Rayleigh is still active in Grandline. Often messing with their enemies and gathering information._

_"We? Don't tell me that you and the others are still active out there when I told you not to?"_

_"Hahaha! We are no longer part of the group since we officially disbanded. That command of yours is no longer valid. Besides, remember what you told us? Do what we want."_

_"You bastard." There was no bite in his words when he said that. It was filled with gratefulness to his members._

_"I just called to tell you what happened. We're going to pay them back for what they did to Rowing."_

_And that was the end of the call. More members of his are dying because of what they know. Maybe he should do something about this soon._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_The twins find themselves in the forest with Luffia in tow. Their parents are currently talking in the garden so they took this opportunity to slip passed._

_The twins are holding Luffia's hand on each side, making sure that she won't stumble. It hasn't been a month since they arrived on this island and the three of them managed to discover a lot of places._

_That includes a door on the ground._

_"This is locked." Sab said._

_"That's why we need to guess the passcode." Ann said while looking at the automated lock system this door has._

_"Door? Why is it there?" Luffia stares at it with amusement in her eyes. The twins are busy arguing that they did not notice Luffia approaching the lock._

_"what if it has limited tries? There are automatic door system that will blow up if you tried it several times." Sab argued. At the age of 6, she's quite advanced and pretty smart. At the age of 4, she was able to read and finish books._

_Ann is also the same but she's just a little slower than Sab who must have been blessed with high IQ. They are homeschooled by their mother since they were 4 years old and with so many books and knowledge, they were able to gain knowledge thrice than the kids their age._

_While the twins are still in an argument, Luffia decided to start pressing buttons in the automated lock and that's when they heard it. The loud 'ding' coming from the door, signaling that it successfully opened._

_"Wha - "_

_"How?!"_

_"Shishishi!" Luffia just flashed a toothy grin to her sisters before pointing at the unlocked door._

_Gulping down their excitement, the twins nodded at each other before they pulled the door open._

_"There are stairs."_

_"You're stating the obvious, you idiot." Sab said. "Shall we go inside?"_

_"Mom and Dad are not going to be happy if they find out." Ann said while staring intensely at the stairs. "Only IF they find out."_

_"Lezzgo lezzgo!" Luffia was jumping up and down while pointing at the stairs._

_"Well... You're right though. Only IF they find out." Sab agreed, curiosity winning over rationality._

_With that, the three ventured inside the secret door. Ann always has a flashlight with her and it comes handy when they are walking inside the dim-lit underground room._

_"Oh! Oh! Switch!" Before the twins could prevent Luffia from doing anything, she ran towards the switch and press on it. For a second there, the twins were afraid that it activated a trap. Instead, it just turned on the lights in the room._

_"Phew. How come she's so lucky?" Sab can only rhetorically ask while staring at the youngest._

_"Don't ask me." Ann just shrugged._

_As they dwell inside, they are not surprised to see firearms and several documents inside. This is not the first time that they saw a gun. Most of the time, they find their father's gun tucked under underneath his jacket. Sometimes, their mother also carries it._

_They asked a few times why they must carry it and their parents just said that it's for protection. They're smart enough not to further question it. It must be something adults do._

_They looked around and found a lot of hand grenades stored in a box. Luffia was about to pick it up but the twins quickly grabbed her by her collar before she did._

_A newspaper laid there that caught Sab's attention so she tugged on Ann's shirt._

_"What?" Sab points to the newspaper with their father's picture there._

_Gold Roger - Mafia King._

_"Oh, Daddy!" Luffia took the newspaper lifting it in the air while the twins just remained silent after knowing what it was about._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_Days turn to weeks. Weeks turn to months. Months turn to a year. The twins are now 7 years old while Luffia is 4 wherein she starts to take Rouge's lessons._

_Unlike her sisters, she does not have the patience to listen to her mother at all and prefers to take the lessons at her pace, often making mistakes which Rouge is not too happy about. Luffia takes after Roger, so much that it's giving Rouge a headache._

_Because they have been on this island for a year now, their supplies are running out. For the first 6 months, Rayleigh dropped by in the middle of the night to give them their supplies. This time, he won't be dropping by so they have to get supplies on their own._

_"Why can't Daddy join us?" Luffia asks her mother while they are sailing to the nearby island about an hour away from theirs. They used a speedboat available on the island._

_"Because someone has to watch the house." Rouge explained. Luffia just nodded and accepted it as an explanation while the twins just remained silent._

_Unlike Luffia, they know why Roger is not allowed to go out. And before they left the island, Rouge told them never to mention their father's name to anyone else._

_The twins are helping Rouge in buying supplies while Luffia is just there looking around. There are a lot of adults in town so when she saw a green-haired kid not too far away, she decided that it's a good idea to greet him._

_"Hi!"_

_"Hm?" The green-haired kid just looks at Luffia for a little while before continuing the push-ups he's been doing._

_"What's your name?"_

_"Go away. I'm busy."_

_"Why are you doing that?" Luffia sat on a nearby rock then looks at the kid expectantly._

_"To be strong. Adults are stupid. They think because I'm a kid that I can't do it." The green-haired kid frowns, dissatisfaction evident on his face._

_"Shishishi! I like you. Let's be friends!"_

_"You look weak. Why would I want to be friends with you?" The kid stands up from his push-up position to look down on Luffia._

_"I am not weak! I'll be strong!"_

_"Heh~ I'll wait till you're strong before we can be friends." And that's what he said before walking away. Luffia was about to follow him but her name was called by her mother._

_For the past 2 years, the two of them see each other whenever Rouge brings Luffia to get supplies on the island. She told him that they live not too far away._

_Despite not knowing each other's names, they still talk to each other._

_"I'll go ahead now! Bye-bye idiot!"_

_"I don't want to hear that from someone like you."_

_"Shishishi!"_

_"Will you be back in 3 months?"_

_"Yeah! I will! You have to tell me your name then!"_

_"Yeah, yeah. Bye!"_

_Unfortunately, that did not happen..._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_"Things are not going well back in Grandline." Roger told his wife. "It would be better for you and the children to go somewhere else. As far away as possible."_

_"What happened?"_

_"They're killing anyone who made contact with me for the past few years. It is only a matter of time before they find us here."_

_"So they can prevent you from leaking that information?"_

_"Yes. I think it's best to explain everything to our children about the truth." Roger may not have been discreet about his connection to the Mafia world but he never mentioned anything about it to his children. They're older now and this may be the best time for them to know what kind of a man their father is._

_"Yeah. I think that's fair enough."_

_"I'm going to also turn myself in." This made Rouge stare at his husband, shocked at this decision._

_"You know what will happen if you do that, right?" There's no need to explain the outcome should Roger decide to turn himself in. There's just one path - death._

_"I know."_

_Rouge wanted to say more but seeing the look in Roger's eyes made her hesitate. His decision is final. There's nothing she could have done to make him change his mind._

_The twins were 9 while Luffia was 6 when Roger told them about what he used to do._

_"I saw it. They have your picture on the paper and it says, Mafia King!" Luffia said. Since she can read now, whenever the three of them visits the underground room, she tends to look at the files in them._

_And not just that. They see a lot of pictures when they visit the nearby island. Those are wanted posters of their father._

_"But they said Mafias are bad guys. But Daddy is not a bad guy." Luffia added._

_"Well, I wouldn't say that I am a good guy." Roger smiled at his youngest. "But I am not that bad either."_

_"Nuh-uh! Daddy is a great guy! The best!"_

_"It doesn't matter what others think." Ann suddenly said. "Dad is Dad."_

_"Yeah. You being a Mafia King doesn't matter." Sab shrugged._

_The parents of the three children expected to get a lot of questions from their daughters but surprisingly, there's none at all. They accepted it like wholeheartedly._

_"Daddy! Teach us how to use guns!" Luffia exclaimed, tugging on Roger's hand. "We saw a lot of guns in the underground room."_

_Her words made the twins stare at the youngest, eyes as wide as saucers. They want to shut her up but it was too late._

_"Underground room?" Rouge raises an eyebrow at Luffia before looking at the twins as if seeking for an explanation._

_"Err, we saw it years ago." Sab can't stand the pressure from her mother's eyes. No, Rouge is a lot scarier than their father._

_"It was just an accident!"_

_"And how did you open it? Mind telling me how?" The tone in their father's voice is filled with amusement and a little proud of how nifty his children can be._

_"Luffia guessed what the passcode was. So it opened."_

_"Hmm, I see. That's fine. If you found it, you found it. There's nothing much we could do with what you saw in there." Roger shrugged, trusting that his daughters are capable of handling whatever they saw inside. He is aware of what that room has. It's a miracle that they kept it a secret from the two adults for a long time considering Luffia is a blabbermouth._

_"Shishishi! Dad, teach us how to use it!"_

_"Sure. I don't see why not."_

_"Roger!" Came a reprimanding voice of Rouge._

_"It's fine, honey. They'll have to learn how to use it when they get older. Besides, this is something I can at least teach them." With their conversation earlier, Rouge can easily understand what Roger wants to say. That he won't have chances to teach his children about a lot of things._

_Not when he's about to turn himself in._

_Over the past few months, Roger kept himself busy with teaching his children about guns and the Mafia world. He did not specifically provide all the details but he told them what he thinks as appropriate._

_In this world, they must learn how to fend for themselves, to protect themselves and those they love. He's been telling them that freedom is the best thing that they can ever achieve._

_What exactly is the kind of freedom they want? That's up to them to decide._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_Ring... Ring... Ring..._

_Roger woke with a start upon hearing his cellphone ringing. He never received any calls from Rayleigh at this time. It's always when he's awake, not when it's almost dawn._

_Rouge also woke up upon hearing the phone ringing. With urgency, he pressed the answer button._

_"Rayleigh."_

_"Roger. You have to get out of that island. NOW."_

_"What happened?"_

_"I don't know what happened but someone managed to tip the World Government of your location. They are on their way there. I am almost there. Get the children out of there now."_

_"How far are you? How far are they?"_

_"I am almost there. Probably in 15 minutes. Their ships are not far behind."_

_Roger looked at Rouge who nodded in understanding before running hastily toward the door to get to their children._

_"Ann. Sab. Lu!" Rouge shook all of them awake. The three of them share one king-sized bed despite having rooms on their own._

_"M-Mom?" Sab was the first one to wake up, rubbing her eyes as she did._

_"Get up, now! We must leave."_

_"H-Huh? W-Why?" Ann yawns and sat up._

_"There's no time. Come on!" Rouge urged the twins to stand up as she lifts Luffia off the bed to carry her towards their destination._

_The twins frowned. Many questions must be circling their minds now but they decided to ask later and just follow their mother. They stepped out of the house and found their father who is carrying a duffel bag._

_"Honey. Take the children to the eastern part of the island. That's where Rayleigh will be waiting."_

_"And how about you?"_

_"Don't worry about me. It's me they want. Just go." Tears start to fall from Rouge's eyes while staring at this man. A man that gave her so much happiness than she deserves._

_"Dad?" Sab calls out to her father. "You're not coming with us?"_

_"Sab, Ann..." Roger grabbed each of the twin's hands before he sits to meet their eyes. Both are crying while looking at their father. They know in their hearts what is about to happen. "I know the two of you can understand this situation. You know that your father is a wanted criminal."_

_This made the twins cry even more but Roger must do this._

_"I want the two of you to be strong, always. Do you hear me? Look after your youngest sister. And live your lives to the fullest. Do not let this situation shackle you down."_

_"Daddy, no!" Ann hugged her father as she sobs. Sab did the same as if trying to prevent her father from doing what he is about to do._

_"I did not raise the two of you to be this weak. You must go now." It took a lot of willpower to take his daughters' hands off him as he stands up to say goodbye to his youngest._

_"Lu..." He whispers to a sleeping Luffia._

_"D-Daddy?" Luffia answers half awake._

_"Daddy loves you."_

_"Love you too, Daddy." She weakly smiles, eyes still half-lidded and this almost break Roger's heart. As much as he wants to be with his family all the time, he cannot. He will only bring disaster to his children and he cannot allow that to happen._

_Once more, he hugged Rouge and his children before pushing them to the car so they can leave. It took a lot of persuasions to get the twins inside the car._

_As they left, Luffia is now fully awake. She woke up to find herself inside the car as they left Roger behind._

_"Wait, what's happening? Dad? Where's Dad? Why are we leaving him?"_

_No one answered her. She can only look at her mother as well as sisters as they cry._

_"What's happening?"_

_The drive towards the eastern part of the island was quick. When they arrived, there's a boat waiting for them._

_"Rouge!" Rayleigh is waiting there for the family. His eyes turned sad when he realized that Roger is not with them. He should have expected this to happen. This is Roger after all._

_"Rayleigh. Take the children and get as far away as you can."_

_"What?" Rayleigh couldn't believe what he's hearing._

_"It may be a bit difficult for you but take them to where Dragon is." Rouge instructed._

_"To Dragon? Are you serious?" Rayleigh could not believe what he's hearing right now. He knows who Rouge is talking about._

_"Yes." That was the only answer Rouge gave before she looked at her children, giving the duffel bag that Roger placed in the car._

_That's when they heard a noise coming from the other side of the island as if someone just fired a cannon. Rouge cannot waste more time. "Listen to me. You three are going with your Uncle Rayleigh. The world is not fair. It will never be fair but remember what we taught you. Live your lives the way you want to. You understand?"_

_"Mom... I don't like this." Luffia's tears fell while looking at her mother._

_"I don't like it either. But we must do this. Now, go!"_

_"Mom! No!"_

_Rouge can only hug her children one more time before she pushed them away as she gets inside the car to go back to where her husband is, leaving her children behind._

_It hurts to see them cry and it hurts more that this will be the last time she will see them. She instantly felt regret._

_She could just leave her husband behind and be with her children. They need her more than ever but this time, she wants to be selfish. She wants to be with her Roger until their last breath._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_Roger finds himself in the villa. Several ships must be around the island. He hopes that they got away, as far as they can._

_That's what he thought when a car suddenly pulled behind him, revealing his wife's beautiful face._

_"You..."_

_"I couldn't leave you behind. Do you remember our promise? You die and I die."_

_Roger can only shake his head in exasperation. Since when did he ever win against Rouge's arguments? Only a few times over the years that they've been together._

_And this is not his time to win against her._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_"Sir! We've secured the area. No boats or anything around!" A naval soldier reported._

_"Good. Then fire."_

_"Sir! The orders are to arrest him and bring him back alive."_

_"Didn't you hear me? I said fire!"_

_Left with no choice, the man's subordinates followed his orders and fired their canons repeatedly._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_"I expected that they will be arresting me alive and place me in a public execution. I guess I was wrong." Roger smiled bitterly after several canons were fired._

_"They'll probably tell the public that you resisted a warrant of arrest so they have no choice but to kill you."_

_"HAHAHA. That's more like them, I guess."_

_"But they won't be killing us. There will be no evidence they will find on this island. Not when it's no longer on the map." Roger stares at his wife before he understood what she meant._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_As the boat sailed farther away from the island, the three children can hear the island being bombarded with canons. What they can do is cry._

_Luffia's been shouting for their parents for the past several minutes since they boarded the boat, wanting to swim back to the island. The twins have to hold her back as well as themselves from doing the same thing._

_This world is harsh. Unforgiving even for children like them. It was just yesterday that they are so happy, so satisfied with their lives... And now? Their happiness is slowly being replaced by desperation and sadness._

_What can they do? Nothing. They're powerless. What they can do is curse their situation._

_And curse they did especially when they heard a loud explosion coming from the island. The impact of the explosion can be felt even when they are miles away from the island._

_The three children can only stare at the island they used to call home while it was slowly consumed by the fire._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:   
> Yes! Managed to finally write this chapter. It's quite a chapter as I have to take out a few info. You know, to keep things as mysterious as possible, hahaha. Let me know what you think!


	4. Baltigo

_It was raining that night. Rain filled with ashes coming from the burning island._

_It's gone._

_"NOOO!" Luffia can only scream. Her cries echoed in the sea but none can hear it except for her sisters and Rayleigh who is trying to prevent his tears from falling._

_But he fails to do so. A man like him just lost two great friends. How could he not cry? But he must do what he can. And that is to protect their legacy - their children._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_The impact of the explosion affected the ships surrounding the island. None of them expected that Roger will blow up the entire island using a nuclear bomb._

_"Check the perimeter. Make sure there are no ships or boats. Kill them if you see anything within a 20-mile radius."_

_"Yes, sir!"_

_Several ships started to leave their position to check if there are any ships or boats nearby. If Roger blew up the entire island that killed himself, his family may have escaped. There's no room for an error in this operation. Anyone who may know about that should die. They cannot risk the information getting leaked out. That will only bring disaster to them._

_But for now, they managed to get Roger out of the way. Next will be his former members._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_Looking at the three children crying, Rayleigh feels as if he's carrying the burden of the world. There's nothing more painful than watching three children cry as they shout for their parents who are now dead._

_"I want Mom and Dad." Luffia sniffs, eyes still red from the hours of crying._

_Rayleigh stopped the boat on an uninhabited island that is hours away from their home island. The home island that is no longer there - gone._

_He sits in front of the children, meeting their crying eyes. All of them are expecting Rayleigh to give what they want, sadly, he cannot. No matter how much he wants to, he can't._

_"Listen, you three." He started, almost choking on his words. "Your parents did what they have to do to keep the three of you safe."_

_"And they can't do that while being with us?" Sab questions._

_"Things are complicated, Sab. You know that." Rayleigh is trying to find the right words to comfort them but nothing is comforting about this situation. What he can do is to give them the truth, no matter how harsh it is. "Your parents are dead. I know it is not easy accepting this but that is the undeniable truth."_

_"We want them back!" Ann shouted at Rayleigh. "Why must they die? Why are the people after them?"_

_"I believe Roger told you what we used to do, right?" The three children nodded, understanding what Rayleigh meant. "Roger had what the other people want. I can't explain all the decisions your parents chose, but what I know is that they want the three of you to live, to be safe as much as possible."_

_Safety? That's not something anyone can guarantee to the three of them, not even Rayleigh can do this at all. Not when he's also a wanted man and definitely in the World Government's hit list._

_He cannot provide the safety these children will need. Looking at them, Rayleigh is not sure how everything will go as time passes by. Not when Roger and Rouge's blood is running in their veins._

_Just looking at the determination in their eyes, Rayleigh knows that these three will soar higher than he can imagine. He has this feeling that the three of them will not stay quiet forever._

_For the past couple of hours, they continue to sail towards another hidden island only known to a very few people in the world._

_The island is eerily quiet but that is to be expected. After all, the main base is hidden in the mountains._

_"Where are we?" Sab asks while surveying the area._

_"This is Baltigo. Or that's what we call it. We have to walk for about an hour before we arrive at their base but this is where you three will be staying from now on."_

_"Uncle Rayleigh will leave us?" Luffia asks, not liking that someone who they see as a father figure will be leaving as well. Isn't it enough that their parents left them all of a sudden?_

_"I will visit when I can. I just have a lot of things I need to take care of. You will be staying with your Uncle Dragon."_

_"Who is he?" Ann is suspicious about who this person is. Of all the years that passed by since they discovered their father's identity, they know enough to be careful about the people they meet._

_They heard enough jeers from people, cursing their father's existence whenever they visit the island. It took a lot of willpower from them to prevent themselves from beating the hell out of those adults... Only if they were not children, maybe they could._

_"He's a close friend of your parents. Someone they trust." The three only nodded. If it's a person their parents can trust, then they will trust him no matter who he is._

_They walked for about an hour before they arrived at a certain location with nothing but trees surrounding them and a cave nearby._

_"You've come." A man wearing a hooded cloak stepped out of the shadows. His voice is deep, almost penetrating their souls with fear. Just by his voice alone, they can tell that this man is dangerous._

_"Dragon." Rayleigh greeted._

_The man called Dragon took off his hood to reveal a very intimidating face of a man. The tattoo on the left side of his face just increases his already intimidating aura. The children just stared at the man not knowing what to make of him._

_This is the man Rayleigh said their parents can trust and so does he, but there's something in this man that they can't point out._

_"Roger's brats, huh?" The tall man looked down at the children, his face remains unbothered by the sight of children._

_"I assume that they already told you what they were planning from the start?"_

_"Not all of them but they told me to take care of these brats. I don't even know what they were thinking when they asked me of this favor. This place is not for children."_

_"I know but this is the safest place they can be."_

_After the brief introduction, Rayleigh bid his goodbye to the three of them._

_"But we don't want you to go." Luffia is begging Rayleigh to stay with them._

_"I have to."_

_"Will you stay if those people are not looking after you?" Sab can't help but ask. A question Rayleigh cannot answer. The goodbye is hard but this must be done._

_After Rayleigh left, the three children looked at Dragon expectantly. Ann and Sab are still carrying the duffel bag that their parents entrusted to them before the explosion of the island._

_"No one must know who the three of you are." Dragon said. "Most of my subordinates are trustworthy, but still, I advise caution. No one must know your identities."_

_All of them can understand what Dragon is trying to say._

_"What are your names?"_

_"Ann."_

_"Sab."_

_"Luffia."_

_Dragon nodded. "Let us be off. I'll tell you what kind of place this is."_

_They walked for about an hour before they arrived at a villa hidden in the mountains. They see a lot of people in the area, staring at them before staring at Dragon. He never tried to address the curious eyes landing on them and just walks inside the villa without uttering a single word followed by the confused three children._

_"Hmm? Dragon... You found more children to train?" A deep voice of an odd man startled the three children. The man is tall, bulky, with purple hair that almost hurts their eyes._

_"They are here to stay for the time being."_

_"Is that so? They're not going to join us?"_

_"That depends on them. I'll leave you to take care of them. Direct them to the room next to mine." That was all Dragon said before walking away, leaving the three children in the hands of this weird man._

_"You're weird." Luffia can't help but say._

_"HAHAHA! That's one way to put it. My name is Ivankov but you can call me Iva. Follow me and I'll tell you what this place is about."_

_The three of them just followed Iva to a bedroom with a King-sized bed that the three of them can share. The room may not be as nice as what they used to have, but they can't be picky._

_"I assumed that Dragon did not tell you what this place is, right? Simply put, this place is the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army." The twins all stared at the man._

_They know what the Revolutionary Army is. It's an organization established just to oppose the World Government. A terrorist group that the World Government wanted to eliminate but unable to do so._

_"Staying here does not mean that you will join us as Dragon mentioned. I'll explain further and take you around tomorrow. You three must be tired."_

_As soon as Iva left, the three children just stared at one another. This is where they will begin._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_A man wearing a black suit stared at the documents on his table._

_"Are you certain that no one managed to escape the island?"_

_"Yes. We surrounded the island and there's none. The only boat on that island was found in shatters during the explosion." Another man answered._

_"So, he killed himself as well as his family? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"_

_"That is possible, Sir. We can't find any traces at all."_

_"That's not enough. Survey the nearby islands. Check three children between the ages of 10 and 7. We need to get those children. No family of that demon should ever live."_

_With that order, the World Government deployed several ships and their men to check every island nearby. The news about the explosion scattered across the world and they were shocked after finding that the island belonged to the Mafia King._

_A green-haired boy was confused when he heard this. Like other children on the island, he was forced to stand in line so the World Government officials can check them one by one._

_They're suspicious that Roger's children might have escaped, hence, they started a mass search for children between the ages of 10 and 7._

_"... They used to come here." The green-haired kid heard one of the adults talking to the officers. "She has three children. All of them are wearing hoods to hide their faces. We never questioned it."_

_"I see. And no one ever saw what the children looked like?"_

_"They're always with the mother and never talked. And they never took it off so no one really knows what they looked like. Although the youngest one is always approaching a certain child here." And the man talking looked at the green-haired kid's direction before saying: "Him! He's always with the demon child!"_

_The officers all looked at the child, frowning before approaching the child._

_"Kid. Come with us."_

_The child does not have a choice but to follow the man. Now, here he is, standing before several adults, all looking at him as if he is a very interesting puzzle they have to solve. He doesn't like this._

_"Kid, what is your name?"_

_"Zoro."_

_"Alright, Zoro. One of the residents here told us that a child about 7 years old approached you several times. Is that child your friend?"_

_"I don't even know his name." The kid named Zoro shrugged while looking directly into their eyes._

_"But you talked to him."_

_"I did. He won't stop pestering me and wants to be my friend. But I told him if he's not strong, I won't be his friend." He shrugged._

_"What does he look like?" A person approached them with a pencil and paper ready in case Zoro will tell them what the child looked like._

_"He never took off his hood so I can't tell exactly what he looked like. But he has dark hair and dark eyes."_

_"Damn it. I thought we'd be getting more information about that demon child." That was all they need from Zoro before he was dismissed._

_Zoro was left wondering what happened to the child. All Zoro provided to the officers is the truth except he did not provide everything he knows. And that the child has a name called Lu._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_The news of Mafia King's death shocked the public. The news indicated that Roger resisted the warrant of arrest and end up blowing the entire island using a small nuclear bomb that wiped it off the map._

_The explosion inevitably killed his family as well, that's what they claimed. Everyone thought that his death will decrease the activities of the Mafia Rulers, but it did not. It just sparked greed in their hearts to claim his territories._

_The only reason they didn't is that they know he's still alive and might come after them. After all, Roger's legends continue to circulate all over Grandline. Many fears him and his officers. He doesn't exactly have a designated territory unlike the Emperors, however, he's a man who can make a territory his just by being there._

_His wealth is the biggest question here. Where is his money? Did his officers took it for themselves? No one knows._

_This is why Rayleigh - the right-hand man is the next target of the World Government. Only that they do not have the luxury to go after him. Not when the Revolutionary Army is targeting their branches and operations, taking advantage of their distraction._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_The news arrived on Baltigo Island. Dragon visited the children in their room and brought them the newspaper that wrote details about the explosion on the island._

_They cried while looking at the picture of their father, even though it is a wanted picture of his. They still can remember his laugh, his jokes, and his affection towards their mother whenever she's angry._

_All of them sobbed while looking at the picture. Dragon silently left the three of them behind. There's nothing he can do or say that will comfort them. Nothing at all._

_For the past couple of days, the three of them just ate the meals provided to them before going back to their room, still mourning the loss of their parents._

_Ann opened the duffel bag that remained in their room since they arrived here. As she opens them, she finds several folders as well as their photo albums._

_Ann took a random folder and opened it. There are several pieces of paper inside containing information about several people. Sab and Luffia are beside Ann, also looking at them._

_Their parents left these for them. Documents that may not be significant to the three of them right now, but it will be in the future._

_As they open more folders, they see a lot of things that they didn't know exist. Like their birth certificates._

_Gol D. Ace, Gol D. Sabo, Gol D. Luffy._

_There's no need to question why their birth certificates are such. They already know why. It's their father's enemies._

_"I heard dad talking that no one knows where the island is. Only a few people do. So how come the World Government discovered that place?" Sab questions._

_"The question is, why was he being targeted? Yes, they crowned him as Mafia King, but there are others they can turn their attention to. So, why him?" Ann just stares at the files. She doesn't understand all of it but she knows how important they are. "I swear they will pay what they did to our parents. Whoever they are, I'll go after them."_

_And the three agreed. There are a lot of questions still left unanswered and they must find out about this. Their parents are now dead and they won't let this slide at all._

_"We should take this chance while we are here. Right now, we are just children. We do not have what it takes to avenge our parents." Sab said, determination evident in her voice. "Our parents' efforts in keeping our identities should not go to waste."_

_With that agreed on, they asked Iva if the three of them can join the martial arts defense program that Dragon came up with. These are for their recruits who wanted to join their organization._

_There were no children there, just adults._

_"Are you sure you wanted to learn these?" Iva asked and the three of them nodded._

_This is something they came up with for quite some time now._

_They still cry whenever they remember their parents dying on the island, even getting nightmares almost every night since they arrived here, but can they do? Nothing at this moment._

_But not for long..._

_Their training wasn't easy at all, but they persevered and showed a lot of potentials even at such tender ages. After their morning training for martial art defense, they ask Inazuma if they can borrow books from the library so they can start reading and he allowed them to use it._

_Even though Luffia hates reading, she forced herself to keep up with her sisters. Besides, she finds the Mafia World fascinating._

_"Being the King means being free. Dad was free until they all took that freedom away." She told her sisters._

_"Well, Mafia Groups always conduct illegal activities." Sab said. "That's why they are branded as criminals."_

_"Hmm, but still! I like Mafia Groups! I like Daddy's group." She said while remembering Uncle Rayleigh, Uncle Crocus, and Uncle Scopper. They're the ones who know about the three of them._

_After their afternoon readings, they proceed with their activities. Ann chose to polish her abilities in handling guns as well as martial art defense. Luffia will sometimes join her. Sab, on the other hand, will tag along with the Revolutionary Army commanders._

_The more time they spend here, the more they learn about a lot of things. When the twins were 15, they tagged along in one of the missions of the RA._

_Ann is not an official member of the RA, but Sab is. Even so, they let her join the mission._

_The mission is to get to the supplies of the World Government's firearms. Ann and Sab worked side by side at that time to get into the office of the building so they can get more documents that they will need._

_"What are you doing?" Sab asked while staring at Ann's hand, holding a grenade and lighter._

_"They have oils for their ships in the nearby warehouse." Ann answered, sounding so casual._

_"And you want to burn it down?" What Sab received as an answer was a smirk from her older twin sister. "We have to leave before dawn. So, you must hurry."_

_Ann ran towards the warehouse of this branch. She was about to go inside when she heard voices._

_"Should we steal these items here?" She heard a man's voice not too far away from where she is._

_"No, we can't. We have a deal with the World Government, remember?" Now, this made Ann curious about these people's identity. She was hiding behind a barrel, head slowly peeks in, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other person's identity._

_"Yeah, yeah. I know. But these are really a waste." The man is pointing at the supplies in the warehouse._

_"But you know, it's good that Roger's no longer here." Ann clenched her fist upon the mention of her father but she remained still, waiting for the man to finish his sentence. "Good riddance. This way, it is only a matter of time before Pops becomes the next Mafia King."_

_The man stepped back a little which enables Ann to see the mark on that man's clothes. She and her sisters may not have stepped out of the island as frequently as others, but she recognizes that mark._

_Whitebeard's mark._

_Ann remained in her position. She wants to kill these bastards but before she could do so, someone shot them dead right in front of her._

_"Fuck." She muttered to herself. Someone is around and probably a sniper. If they spot her, she will be dead for sure. She remained where she is, praying that whoever sniped Whitebeard's men did not see her._

_For the past 15 minutes, she did not hear any movement at all. This is her chance._

_Looking at the dead bodies, she wants to vomit. Whoever the sniper is made sure to shot them in their heads. One-shot, one kill._

_She was standing there for quite sometime when she heard voices of someone approaching. Running away should be her option but her pride won't let her._

_She went inside the warehouse and placed a candle nearby to set it on fire. After doing so, she immediately ran outside only to see a blond-haired man approaching her direction, or more like approaching the dead people's direction._

_They locked eyes for a moment. The light coming from the lamp post allowed Ann to see his electric blue eyes. She was wearing a hood and a mask at that time so he wouldn't know who she is._

_For a few seconds, Ann just stood there, staring at the man. Loud noise coming from the direction of their ride woke her up from her musings. This is when she decided to run away, leaving the man behind._

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0... And the warehouse was set ablaze, giving Ann the satisfaction that she can't get enough of. Ever since seeing her home island lit ablaze, something must have changed in her. She wants to see the enemies burn to death just like what happened to her parents. And she will make sure it will happen._

_**===XXX===XXX===XXX===** _

_Years passed by, the twins are now 17 years old while Luffia is still 14. It's time for them to leave the island to go back to Grandline, their birthplace._

_Years of preparation and the time for them to start their revenge has come._

_"You three must be careful." Dragon visited them in their shared room the night before their departure. He's a man of few words, always expressing what he feels through his actions and ideals. They learned so much from him for the last 7 years of their stay here._

_They looked up to him and see him as their third father figure. Luffia even started calling him 'Pa'. At first, it was just so she can get a reaction from him, to irritate him but as time goes by, that term never died down._

_For whatever reason, Luffia is so attached to Dragon, always going where he goes, always calling him 'Pa' in front of the subordinates. Despite the difference in their personalities, the two of them seem to get along._

_Their subordinates almost believed that Luffia was Dragon's daughter, often teasing him when he gets overprotective of her. Maybe he sees her as a daughter, and that's fine._

_"Hey, 'Pa, will you miss us? Shishishi!"_

_"I will finally have lesser headaches now that the three of you will be gone." He answered, still not smiling at all._

_"Nah, you will feel lonely. But we will visit when we can and we will keep in touch!" Luffia promised._

_"Keeping in touch may be difficult given the situation, but if there's a chance, you three know how to reach me."_

_All three of them nodded._

_"I had these ready for the three of you." Dragon hands out three folders, one for each. "Those are documents you can use when you go to Grandline. You cannot let anyone know of your identities, do you understand me?"_

_"Yes." They answered at the same time._

_"And here." He hands out three boxes. "Those are the keys to the three vaults in the Silca Bank. Roger and Rouge placed all of their money in that bank for the three of you."_

_They didn't know that their parents had this prepared beforehand._

_"I am not supposed to give it to you just yet, but this is an exception. It is time for the three of you to do what you want." They may never have mentioned anything to Dragon about their desires to seek revenge, but he knows that they will._

_"Thank you, 'Pa." It's rare for Ann to use that endearment to Dragon but she meant it._

_"It's weird calling him 'Pa since he's technically my boss. But I guess this time will be an exception too. Thank you for everything, 'Pa." Sab smirked after seeing Dragon frown after being called 'Pa by the twins._

_"Shishishi! Thank you, 'Pa!" Luffia launched herself to hug Dragon who did not have time to brace himself before the twins did the same, almost toppling him on the ground._

_"You..."_

_And they just laughed at him._

_When it was time to say goodbye, the RA officers were sad to see the three rays of sunshine they have on this island. They just bring a lot of joy to this boring island._

_This is their second home, unfortunately, they must leave now so they can fulfill their promises from 7 years ago._

_As they leave the island, their identities are buried in the depths of their hearts._

_They are no longer Gol D. Ann, Gol D. Sab, and Gol D. Luffia._

_From now on, they will live as Andrea Ortiz, Sabrina Regor, and Luffia Mondragon._

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I wanna make this longer but I figured I should get on and just reveal pieces of information along the way, inserting flashbacks when necessary.
> 
> Anyway, will start writing the FOHW and update it probably tomorrow.


	5. Firefist

Flames. Fire. Heat. Explosion. Screams.

_"Go now..."_

_"Live your life the way you wanted to..."_

_Bang!_

Ann woke with a shout, heavily panting while sweats are running down her body. She dreams of it again. How many times has this been? She lost count. It's been almost 16 years since it happened. The tragedy that changed her life forever.

The tragedy that wounded their hearts, a wound so deep that no one can heal. Even as time passed by, it did nothing to heal the pain of seeing their parents die, no, it only got deeper, buried down to their hearts, engraved forever.

There's nothing that can quench their thirst for revenge, nothing except seeing the enemies of their father die just like what they deserve.

She stands up from her bed, hand reaching on her forehead as she walks to the nearby table near the wall. Hands running through her hair.

She looks at the folder once again.

 _Whitebeard._ That's what is written on the folder and her wall contains countless pinned papers with written notes needed to make her plans successful.

This is for their parents. This is her revenge.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"Firefist? Is that what they call that person?" A tall blond-haired man asks, blue eyes staring at the red-haired man whose style is pulled from the '80s. No matter how many times they told him to quit that style, he wouldn't because it's his trademark - the pompadour.

"Yep. That person's been on the streets for years now, but I guess, over the past couple of months, he made quite a name for himself." The red-haired man shrugs.

Streets do not refer to the alleys or the streets in the city. It refers to the Mafia world - the underground world.

"Any idea which group he belongs to, yoi?"

"Nah. There's no such thing as that information. No one even knows what he looks like. Quite mysterious, eh, Marco?" The red-haired man smirks at the blond man named Marco. They are in the Corporate office of the Newgate Group of Companies.

Newgate Group of Companies is one if not, the largest corporation in Grandline with many businesses under its umbrella. A powerful company that is currently under the supervision of Marco Newgate, a 36-year old man.

Behind this company is an undeniable truth, that it belongs to the current strongest Mafia Group - the Whitebeard Group and Marco serves as the right-hand man of the current Mafia leader, Edward Newgate.

Whitebeard is one of the Emperors in Grandline, along with the others like Big Mom, Hundred Beasts, Akagami, and Blackbeard. Aside from those, there are a lot of rising groups that are almost at the Emperors' levels.

Many people may know that this company is under the largest Mafia Group in Grandline, and surely, the World Government is aware of it but it doesn't mean they can do anything, not if they want an all-out war. No, they can only do something from the backend, away from the Public's eyes.

"Lone wolves like that is dangerous, yoi. Any other information about his movements, Thatch?"

"A few. I think Izou might be the one who can tell you more, or Haruta since they are the ones in charge of the information gathering." Thatch said. Marco only nodded before reminding himself to ask Izou.

A knock on the door took the two men's attention. When it opened, it reveals Izou, a beautiful woman who is also part of the group.

"Just the right person we need!" Thatch exclaimed.

"Me? Do you need me for something?" Izou asks, eyes darting from Thatch then to Marco. She approaches Marco's table, placing a couple of folders in front.

"Just a few questions, yoi." Marco said, pointing to the seat in front of him so she can sit. "Anything we know about Firefist and the groups he's connected to?"

"Well, I do have a little information about him. Why do you need them? Has he been targeting our territories?" Izou raises an eyebrow. No sane man will willingly go against their group. Everyone in the underground world knows how Whitebeard Group deals with those who mess with them. No mercy.

Even with the other Emperors, they do not easily antagonize Whitebeard's group. They're all crazy if they think that they will get away with messing Whitebeard's territories.

"There are a few rumors that they see someone in one of our territories. You know that a few weeks ago, we received reports that they've seen Firefist nearby. We just need to be careful." Thatch answered Izou's question.

They are not afraid, but they just need to be careful. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Someone who just appeared in Grandline out of nowhere only sparks curiosity in everyone. At first, Firefist is just a nobody, someone who is out there on the streets, but now? He is a mysterious being they can't fathom.

He managed to burn two of Big Mom's facilities in two months two years ago. No one was able to do this except him. The trademark Firefist comes from his actions - burning down buildings so accurately and no one managed to catch him.

Aside from Big Mom, Firefist also managed to mess with Blackbeard's territories. He's now a wanted man with two of the Emperors out to get his head.

Even after the years since he started messing with the two Emperors, none of them managed to get any information about this mysterious person. No one even knows what his motives are.

"Well, he's a hard man to look for. The information we have is that he's been seen around Akagami's territories frequently."

"Is he targeting the Emperors?" Thatch curiously asks.

"Who knows. If he starts messing with us, he better be prepared to face the consequences, yoi." Marco said before looking down at the folders Izou gave.

For now, they'll just see how things go.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"You're going to that bar now?" Deuce asks Ann when he saw that she's dressed to go to her part-time job. Deuce is one of the part-timers in the small car repair shop Ann owns.

The shop is situated right in the borders between Akagami and Whitebeard's territories. The shop is small, almost not noticeable at all because it's not in the center of the city, but that's how Ann prefers it. She just needs a front so she can play her role as Ann Ortiz.

When the three of them came back to their birthplace, Grandline, they all carry different surnames. If there's something similar to their background, it's the fact that they came from a very old orphanage called Fuusha.

Dragon told them that the person behind the orphanage knows their parents, hence, the old man allowed the falsification of the documents.

With the rigorous training and studies, they do not need to go to college or university. However, Sab insisted that they must.

Ann decided to focus on mechanical engineering whilst working with finding their ground in Grandline. It wasn't easy but they managed to do so. 3 years since they arrived in Grandline, Ann dropped her college degree to start targeting the people behind their parents' deaths.

The possibility of a traitor within Roger's Group is still within their minds, but they have no way of finding out without solid proof.

World Government is one of their targets, or at least the people behind them. Then, there are those mafia groups who conspired with the World Government in targeting their father.

3 years of investigating, the three of them managed to figure out at least half of what happened in Grandline before their father left. Their father's group is being targeted from all sides and this just resulted in an endless war in the middle of the night against Mafia Groups as well as with the World Government.

Whatever information their father had, the World Government wants it or at least they want to shut him up for good. This is why the three of them set out in Grandline to kill these people. One by one.

"Yes, I am. Please close the shop once you're done." She said to Deuce before hopping on her bicycle. The bar is a little far from her shop, a 40-minute bicycle drive. If she uses her motorcycle, it will only take her 15-20 minutes.

Using her motorcycle is out of option. That will make people suspicious of her and that will risk blowing up her cover.

Blue Phoenix Bar - this is where she works 3 times a week. It's a popular bar that has several branches all over Grandline. This one right here is one of the least popular branches - just what she needed.

It's half past 5 PM when she arrived at the backdoor of the bar. Opening the door, she was greeted with the sight of a familiar face - Whitey Bay.

"Hey, Ann! You're here!"

"Hi, Bay! How is it going?" She greets back while taking the handkerchief out of pocket so she can wipe the sweat off her forehead.

"And we told you to just get a car or something instead of using your old bike." Bay said. She serves as the General Manager of the Phoenix Bars and frequently visits this branch. She started working here three months ago when she saw that they are hiring bar singers.

At first, Ann was skeptical if she should do it or not but since this branch is not the most popular one out there, she decided it might be a good idea to take this chance. There's a little information she can gather here, but it's worth taking this chance to get familiar with the faces of those allied with Whitebeard.

"You know I can't afford to buy a car." Ann smiled meekly before walking side by side with her towards the employees' quarters where she will be changing into her work clothes.

"And I told you that we have some spare cars we can lend to you." Bay said, insisting on the offer. "You are our star singer. That's the least we could do especially with the number of customers that are frequenting this bar just to see you perform."

That is true. Ever since Ann started working here, more customers drop by just to see her perform on stage. She works on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The bar is always full in those days that she works here.

The offer is very kind of them, considerate, but Ann refuses it all the time, being careful. She can't just accept the things they are offering for several reasons. One, she does not need their car as she has her own, albeit only used when she is on a mission. Two, she just wants to avoid being indebted to them. Three, there are these suspicions of her that the car may have a GPS attached to it. That's not something she wants.

"Don't worry about it. I can manage, but thanks for the offer." She smiles before going inside the locker room to change into something appropriate for her work.

She took off her jeans and shirt so she can wear the crop top sleeveless leather shirt paired with a black leather tight-fitting jeans with matching black knee-high leather boots.

Within 30 minutes, she was able to apply make-up, hair is now brushed properly and curled into luscious waves.

She is not fond of wearing make-up, but she has to at this point. She looks at her reflection in the mirror, dolled up for the night. Another performance to finish.

She gets out of the room to go on stage. The moment she steps in, the regular customers cheered for her, chanting her name.

"Ann! Ann! Ann!" She smiles at them, enjoying the attention. It's hard not to, of course. They all whistle, clapping their hands.

Ann surveys the area carefully to look for anyone new within the crowd. There's none so far which is good.

The music starts, she sings 'Havana'. She dances to the tune as she sings while walking from one table to another, earning numerous stares from the men in the crowd.

Some of them tried to touch her, but the bouncers are quick to meddle in. After all, she's not a prostitute. She would have smacked and break that person's bones but that's something she cannot do lest she will risk exposing who she is.

Tonight will be a special night after all...

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

It is 3 hours past midnight. The streets are peaceful with a few people walking by. Many know that the people awake at this ungodly hour are not civilians. They are people who belong to the underground world.

Behind the shadows of the building, there stands a person wearing a black hooded coat with an embroidered sign of a fire, paired with a mask on her face - a mask equipped with a voice changer just in case. She wears leather fire-proof gloves, a slightly loose black pants paired with black boots.

The coat is quite big, big enough to hide her curves and her assets. That's what she needs. After all, no one must know that the person behind these clothes is a woman.

She carefully walks in the alleys, avoiding people as much as she can, with a clear destination in her head. It's a warehouse filled with security personnel walking around to ensure no one can trespass.

But not her, not Firefist.

She has been preparing for this for months now. Messing this up is not an option for her. Carefully, she looked at the CCTV camera on the streetlight. It's going to be dangerous if they find out that Firefist is already targeting them. She plans to make them believe that one of their rivals are targeting them.

Her hand clutches on the bombs in her pocket.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._ The timer is ticking, signaling that it will go off at a certain time.

' _5 minutes._ ' She murmurs to herself. This is the only time she has to get out of there so she crouches, right knee on the ground as she placed the bomb right next to the walls of the warehouse.

Just as she placed it, she instantly heard footsteps nearby. Firefist closes her eyes, sharpening her senses before discerning that the footsteps are coming from the right.

She immediately stands up, waiting for the person to arrive at her spot and when he did, her hands quickly reached for the tall man's neck and snapped it off.

He did not have the time to shout for help because he soon finds himself on the ground, dead.

Years of training, Ann mastered the art of assassination, something she needs if she wants to fulfill this rough path of vengeance.

 _'A minion, huh.'_ She thought to herself, scoffing off. It would have been better if it was one of the officers of Whitebeard, but her luck may not be that good if she was only blessed with lackeys.

One last look at the bomb she placed, she notes the time remaining. 4 minutes.

With hurried steps, she walks away from the warehouse, taking the same path as she did earlier. 4 minutes is enough time for her to reach far enough.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

And she hears the explosion that shook the ground. She remains standing there, watching the building full of firearms explode.

' _Ahh... What a terrible loss for you._ ' She smirks to herself, words meant for Whitebeard. ' _I am not done yet._ '

Then she hops on her motorbike, sprinting away before anyone sees her.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"What?!" Marco's voice echoes in his room. "How did that happen, yoi?" He's frowning while clutching on his phone. He briefly stands up from his bed to go to his walk-in closet. He's fairly sure this situation needs his attention even if it means going out at this ungodly hour.

"We're still investigating it. We have the CCTVs ready to check who planted the bomb in the warehouse."

"Do we have any casualties, Thatch?" That's his main concern, his people.

"Yeah, a few. About 12 injured and 1 died." Marco can only close his eyes at the news, sighing before answering.

"I'll go there to check that out, yoi." He said before ending the call. He just shakes his head in frustration.

Yes, this is something common but it doesn't mean that he likes it, not when his family members are hurt. Anyone may think that Whitebeard is a ruthless man, yes, he may be, but only to his enemies. When it comes the family members, Whitebeard cares a lot for them.

Marco drives as fast as he can, ignoring the speed limit. Not like any police will hinder him and even if they did, they will only face the consequences because an angry Marco is not someone they want to mess with.

He arrives in the warehouse. Yes, this is just one of the smaller warehouses they have but its value is nothing to joke about especially the goods stored inside.

This warehouse contains some of their firearms as well as a few cars the family members use. It's worth millions and it's gone in a blink of an eye.

As soon as he steps out of the car, he sees several of their family members treating the people injured. Vista, Thatch, and Namur are already there, talking to the Decalvan Brothers who are in charge of this area.

"Marco." They all greeted him and the blond-haired man nods at them.

"Any news, yoi?"

"We secured the perimeter but we found no one. The bomb was placed rather carefully and probably in a blind spot of the CCTV camera. Whoever placed it seems to know the place very well." Vista said.

"And no one managed to capture footage of that person?" Marco frowns, not liking this situation at all.

"We're not done with the CCTV cameras. We'll let you know once we have anything." Namur said.

"Good. Because whoever he is won't get away easily, yoi."

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

The news quickly spreads in Grandline. Whitebeard quickly covered the story by telling the public that the cause of the explosion is a malfunctioned electricity circuit.

Ann watches the news while fixing a car from one of the customers. She smirks to herself.

_'There's more to come...'_

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: You all probably know my pattern by now. LOL. A little bit of introduction of the sisters. HEHEHE. Enjoy!


	6. Blue

"Attorney Sab, these are the files that you need." A middle-aged woman placed the folders on the table, smiling at the young woman sitting behind it.

"Thanks for this, Amy." A blond-haired woman smiles at her secretary before her eyes darted on the folder in front of her, signaling that the secretary is dismissed.

As soon as she hears the door shuts, she immediately reached for the folders. Opening them, she sees a bunch of information about the illegal activities of Apoo's Mafia Group.

Sab works as one of the top lawyers of the Celestial Law Firm. It's one of the top Law Firms in Grandline. As someone who works here for only about 2 years, she is recognized as one of their best lawyers, solving and winning cases like nobody's business.

She is someone who graduated with flying colors, top of her class, her intellect and wits are top-notch. For someone who came from an orphanage, she sure reached quite a destination.

Everyone lost count how many she sent to prison for handling their cases. She won several cases and has not lost a single one since she started her career as a lawyer.

She specializes in the Mafia Group's cases. Her name resonates in the streets as someone who often gets entangled with Mafia Groups, sending members to prison. This is her job. This is her duty.

Or at least that's how everyone thinks.

Her eyes read through the files. It seems that the World Government is now going after Apoo's group using the evidence they gathered regarding the illegal activities they conducted over the past few years.

The most solid evidence they gathered was the drug deals of this group, but it's not enough to send them to prison. The chances of winning are high, but it's not going to be enough at all, not when Apoo's using Hundred Beast Group's influence to their advantage.

Right now, Sab is tasked to take care of this case so the police department can arrange a warrant of arrest. That's usually the process but this is a mafia group they are dealing with, nothing comes easy when dealing with them, not when it involves one of the Emperors.

Sab started to work on compiling all the evidence. Apoo's group is selling drugs, cocaine, marijuana out in the black market, and some of them involve one of the elites in society.

The tricky part is how they can get more evidence than what they have. This is where special task forces are formed so they can investigate. Spies are planted on most of the Mafia Groups but most of them end up being dead along with the information they have yet to send to the World Government.

After compiling the list, she immediately proceeds with finishing her other pending works. Everything is hectic on Mondays but that's to be expected. Sometimes, she wants to rest and just be with her sisters. She longs for their adventures when they were on an island.

_Island..._

She is reminded of her life, or at least how it used to be. A life filled with nothing but laughter, joys, happiness until one day it's gone. She has many what-ifs in her life.

What if their parents escaped with them? What if they stayed behind and die alongside them? Maybe they won't have to deal with the endless pain, with the painful memories that haunted them for the last 15 years, almost 16 years now.

Regardless, here they are, still alive. Sab is thankful to have her sisters with her side, albeit they rarely see each other because of their roles. And it's for the better if they want to keep their identities a secret.

After finishing her tasks for the day, she bid her goodbye to her officemates before leaving the building. She lives not too far from her office building which is right next to one of the biggest branches of the World Government Office.

This is also for protection for the employees who are working against the Mafia Groups. It's not odd for anyone to suddenly get attacked by the Mafia Groups.

Lawyers like her tend to be the targets all the time. Since she started working here more than 2 years ago, there were a lot of instances wherein a lawyer goes missing or was sent to the hospital. Those cases are always frequent.

Sab experienced the same thing several times over the last couple of years since she started this job but the thing is, she always gets away with it.

And the attacker? Dead.

Once, someone was tailing her as she walks back to her apartment. She ends up taking a route away from prying eyes and the man just followed her without doubts. Along the way, she took out her gloves, preparing for an encounter. When they arrived at an alley, he immediately attacked her, knife in his hand.

Sab is too used to these kinds of movements. Years of training since she was a child honed her to act on instinct to defend herself. She was able to take the knife from him before kicking him on his stomach followed by a jab at the back of his neck.

The man groaned on the ground, face on the floor, but Sab did not let her guard down so she kicked the back of his knee, producing cracking sounds from the bones that are probably broken at this point.

Another pained groan escaped the man and before he could shout for help, Sab was quick to shut him up, a handkerchief in his mouth.

"Who sent you?" She asks but the man just shakes his head.

"Alright. Then you won't mind if I kill you right?" The man looks at the woman, realizing that he was mistaken. He was mistaken when he accepted the job to kill her.

She is no ordinary woman. What he sees in her eyes is nothing but danger. There is no hesitation in her eyes when she mentioned the word 'kill' as if it's something she does on a daily basis.

"Are you going to talk or not?" She asked again. The man told her all she needs to know, who sent him and who hired him. And when he's done, Sab only nodded. "Then state your prayers for today is your last day."

After saying those, she threw the knife she was holding straight to his neck. It was cruel of her to kill the man but if she didn't, she would have been the one dead by now. If she lets him go, he will only talk to the Mafia Group who sent him. Sab cannot let anyone know about this. She cannot let everything go in vain by showing mercy to those who tried to kill her.

She feels sympathy for the family of the man, but this is a cruel world. One will die while the other will live. That's always been a rule in the Mafia World. Nothing is certain. You may live today and may die tomorrow.

Several incidents happened like that all the time. But Sab was keeping tabs on who is targeting her, but most of them are the Mafia Groups with cases handled by her.

They believed that she is being protected by the Law Firm because all assassins sent to kill her end up being dead. Little did they know that she does not have someone protecting her except for herself.

She drives for about 15 minutes before arriving at her house. She immediately walked inside her bedroom, her feet brought her to a painting of an island on the wall.

It looks normal at once glance until she slides it to the right to reveal a tiny fingerprint scanner, almost not noticeable. She places her thumb on the device before it opens the door in front of her.

Inside, there are with firearms on display, her 'uniform' when she is on a mission. And tonight is the night.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

It reeks. This place reeks and he hates it. It's been about two years since he has been here but the smell still gets to his head, making him want to punch the walls.

It's the middle of the night but he remains awake, staring at the ceiling, or more like stare at the bed above him.

There's nothing more frustrating than sitting still, doing nothing, being robbed of your freedom. That's what he is right now, someone caged, behind this rotten prison cell.

Two years... Two years of being in hell. Two years of hate that never seems to diminish. Time passes by and the hatred only grows stronger. He wants her dead. He wants to kill her with his bare hands. That's all he has been thinking for the past two years since that betrayal. And even as he sleeps, all he can think about is his revenge against her.

Morning came fairly easily. He wakes up just like anyone else in this rotten prison cell. Upon seeing a 6'4 man walking in the hallways, many know how to stay clear, to avoid this well-built red-haired man.

For the past two years, he's established himself as the top of the food chain here. He rules this prison and no one messes with him.

"Eustass! A visitor!" One of the guards called his attention. He quickly walks towards the exit of this establishment to where the visitation area is.

He arrives in a private room and recognizes three familiar faces.

"Kidd." A blond-haired man nodded at the prisoner.

"If you're here, then I assume you have good news." He said before taking a seat right next to a brunette named Wire.

"We do." The blond-haired man named Killer answered.

"I hope it's something good." Kidd doesn't need anything that will worsen his mood. Not this time.

"It is. So, you don't have to worry. It won't be too long." A gray-haired man named Heat answered.

His answer caused Kidd to smirk devilishly. At long last, he will be getting his revenge, and it will be so sweet.

"You could have asked us to kill her. We would have done it in a blink of an eye." Wire suddenly said, earning a glare from Kidd.

His glare is nothing but ominous, scary. It's filled with hatred, burning with desire to kill. His hand reaches to clutch on Wire's collar, startling the other man.

"And I told you several times, she is mine to kill. Or was my order not clear enough?" He asks, tone menacing and filled with anger.

"It is clear. I am just suggesting it."

Kidd finally lets him go to go back to his chair. As he sits, he raises his two feet on the table.

"I will kill her myself. What she did is unforgivable and I won't let her get away with it. Never." He promises to himself as he thinks about a certain blond-haired woman who sent him to prison.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

World Government - an organization with military power and is currently in control of Grandline. They protect the citizens against the Mafia Group and behind them are the elites and 'nobles' of the society.

They may be the holder of justice in Grandline, but a few people know that there's something dirty behind them. This is why the Revolutionary Army exists, to oppose the World Government and its ideals.

The current head and leader of the Revolutionary Army is none other than Dragon - the most wanted criminal in the history of Grandline, just like Gol D. Roger.

Right next to Dragon is a person filled with mystery, the Chief of Staff o Revolutionary Army - Blue.

Unlike Dragon whose face is everywhere, Blue's face is hidden. No one knows what he looks like and the only indication of his identity is the blue hooded coat he wears all the time with the logo of the Revolutionary Army at embroidered at the back.

Tonight, Sab strips off her clothes till she's almost naked before donning her 'uniform'. Wearing this uniform means that she's no longer Attorney Sab tonight, she's Blue.

Her outfit consists of a blue hooded coat big enough so it won't be obvious that she's a woman, paired with pants and boots. She wears gloves to avoid someone getting her fingerprint just in case.

Before placing the hood on her head, she wears a voice changer mask, similar to Ann's. And with that, she's ready to go.

To avoid being detected by anyone, she used the underground tunnel connected to the Grandline underground water system. She had the design of this tunnel memorized at the back of her mind and even without a map, she won't get lost at all.

She turned right so she can take an exit on a drain hole not too far from where she is. As soon as she's out, she immediately walked towards a deserted area where junk cars are stored.

No one knows that in the middle of this area, there's a secret parking space that stores a motorbike. This is the motorbike she frequently uses whenever she's out on a mission.

The drive towards her destination is fairly short. She parked her motorbike about 300 meters away from her destination. As much as she wants it nearby in case she needs to escape, she can't do that. This area is dangerous because this is one of the World Government's branch offices in the South Area of Grandline.

The building is equipped with CCTV cameras, making infiltration almost impossible, but not to her. Not when she has her means in doing her job. The building may be impenetrable on the surface, but not underground.

There's a reason why the underground water system serves a great purpose in her missions.

With deadly accuracy, she managed to enter a drain hole, all the way down to the underground tunnel.

She makes her way inside the building without issues. The only problem is the way to the office where the documents are stored.

 _'Clang. Clang. Clang.'_ Footsteps echoed in the dim-lighted hallway, signaling a guard on patrol.

Blue remains still, waiting for the person to pass by so she can go inside the room right in front of her.

When it is safe, she opened the door using the falsified fingerprint she prepared.

 _Ding!_ It opens.

She made her way to the cabinets, rummaging around, searching for very specific information that Dragon told her to get, information about the transactions of the 'nobles' as well as the special task force the World Government are sending against the Revolutionary Army.

What they need right now is an advantage to mess with the World Government's transactions. Behind the public image of justice is a world filled with nothing but illegal activities that should be exposed.

She placed the folders on the floor and took her smartphone out to take pictures of these files. She doesn't need the printed copies after all.

As soon as she's done, the next thing she did is open the computer to get more information stored inside. It is encrypted as she expected. No sane man will leave the computer without sufficient protection.

Good thing she's prepared. The falsified fingerprint will do the job. How did she get it? Simple.

She met one of the heads recently for a meeting against one of the Mafia groups. Getting his fingerprint is as easy as taking a lollipop from a toddler.

Taking out the USB, she turns the computer off and was about to head out when she saw a certain folder on the table.

Eustass Kidd.

She gulps upon remembering the name. How could she forget him? No, she never did, not even for a day.

With curiosity, she opens the folder only to see something she did not expect. It's the legal documents of Eustass Kidd's dismissal from the prison.

The middle of the paper has a stamp that says: NOT GUILTY.

She gulps, even more so when her eyes landed on the dates indicated at the bottom. It's the release date of the prisoner.

Two weeks from now, he will officially be released from his confinement, free to roam the streets once more. Sab feels conflicted at this discovery.

One look at the picture on the file, she is reminded of their past together, of what they used to have.

_'Stop studying, you fucking nerd.'_

_'Can't you ever shut up?'_

_'Hmm, nope. Come here.' And she feels his hot kisses all over her neck while his hands are caressing her back. She can only give in to his desires for she wants the same thing._

She sighs upon remembering those sweet moments. Sweet moments that will never happen again.

With him free, Sab knows it is only a matter of time before she finds herself being hunted by him.

' _You will regret this. You will fucking regret this._ ' She can still remember how his eyes look at her. He looks at her as if he's his worst enemy and she might just be.

Kidd will never forgive her for what she did 2 years ago. The first case she received since she started working as a lawyer was a case against the Captain's Mafia Group - Kidd's group.

She can remember the look of betrayal on his face as she worked her way to send him to prison. She won the case with ease, inevitably sending her lover to a rotten prison cell.

Hunt or be hunted. Kill or be killed. These unspoken laws never changed. She was always a hunter but now? She won't be.

She will be hunted by none other than Eustass Kidd.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Was debating if Sab should be a Doctor, but I think being a lawyer suits her. Hehehe. I hope you like this! Next is Luffia. I'm still debating about Luffia's plot... I wanna make it more dramatic. But we'll see.


	7. Straw Hat

3:00 AM

It's quiet. The lights of the houses are mostly turned off and what's left on the streets are small noises coming from the footsteps of people still awake.

"This is the place." A woman's voice echoed in Luffia's ears as they stare at the 6-story building not too far from where they are. At first glance, this is just a simple toy factory, but in reality, it is not. It's a factory of drugs hidden in the toys they sell.

"Let's get started." Luffia said.

"Cyborg and God are on standby to pull the trigger." A blond-haired man wearing a black suit and hat said while smoking the remainder of his cigarette.

"By pulling that trigger, you are inevitably proclaiming war against the Donquixote Family." An oranged-haired woman warned their leader.

"I know. If it means getting Dressrosa as our territory and getting them out of that place, so be it." She said but the voice sounds like that of a man. It is because of the voice changer she is wearing concealed behind her mask. "Just make sure that the damage will only extend to the factory. There are residential areas around the factory. We can't get the civilians involved."

"Do not worry. Cyborg and God already have that taken care of."

That was she said before she sent the signal to their members to pull the trigger. It took them months before they can figure out the building's blueprints. The official blueprints this factory submitted to the local government office is falsified - it means that not all the hidden passageways are included. The information is hard to come by but they somehow managed to get it after going through great difficulties.

Donquixote Family is one of the most influential Mafia Groups in Grandline. Their power may not be on par with the Emperors, but they have several connections, not just within Mafia but also within the World Government.

They managed to freely reign the city of Dressrosa by utilizing such connections. That city may seem to be perfect in everyone's eyes, vibrant, joyful, but in reality, it's filled with nothing but despair.

The city is filled with Doflamingo's men, guarding it day and night. No citizens living there can get out easily. If there's any bit of resistance from them, they will be met with nothing but cruelty.

Often, they find their children kidnapped, sold as slaves or worse, sold as prostitutes. Women will be given to the elite businessmen. Who knows what they will do to those poor women.

Men are sold as slaves to work on factories for free, only served with minimal food to survive. Many have gone missing but none is found. Doflamingo sits on his throne in his mansion thinking that no one will dare to raise their hands on him, not when he has two of the Emperor's hands to help him out. He's wrong.

There's a group willing to go through all the trouble and danger to get him off his high seat.

_BOOM!_

A loud noise coming from the factory resonated, waking up most of the households nearby.

_BOOM!_

Another one. The first two are just warnings. Warnings to stay away from the factory and for people to get away as much as possible if they do not want to die. Most of the Mafia Groups won't even care if they hurt civilians, but not them. Someone may get hurt in the process but they will try to minimize the damage to people as much as possible.

_BOOM!_

With the third warning, it signals for the final stretch. Two minutes before the final explosion will happen.

 _Toot. Toot..._ "This is Cyborg. We're done. On our way to the mansion."

"Okay, copy that!"

The leader nods. It is time for them to move now. Their group consists of 8 members, all of which use a nickname to avoid their identities being discovered by the enemies. For years, they kept their identities hidden and this is one of their advantages.

A few people may know what the other members look like but no one has yet to discover what the leader looks like at all. All they know is that he's someone who wears a hooded coat, a mask hiding his face, and his trademark - a straw hat hanging on his back. They don't even know that this person is a woman.

The six of them moved with accuracy, taking advantage of the confusion that the explosions provided. They slipped past the guards of the city, often knocking them before they can make a sound to alarm the others.

Straw Hat, the leader of the group, is running towards the hidden entrance they managed to discover. No, more like someone gave them this information - their intel.

It's a passageway not everyone knows about. A passageway that will bring them directly to Doflamingo's mansion. They waited for about 3 minutes before Cyborg and God arrived.

"We will stay here and wait for all of you to come back. Straw Hat! Remember, you only need to destroy the mansion and nothing else! Devil, go get as many documents as you can." Cat Burglar reminded them.

"I know, I know! Plant the bomb while everyone is confused. I get it!" The leader rolled her eyes at her member but with her hood and mask, they can't clearly see it.

"Don't forget to steal everything valuable! He has a collection of diamonds, steal it!" Her hands are on Luffia's shoulders, squeezing it tightly as if to make sure she will remember her last words. Spoken like a cat burglar that she is.

They plan to also destroy the mansion that Doflamingo is staying in while they steal some of his important files as well as the pieces of jewelry they can steal.

"I get it, okay. We'll be going now!" Straw Hat waved before going inside the passageway followed by Devil, Blackleg, Bones, and Cyborg.

The eight members all use aliases. Bones - someone who is thin and tall, a person who uses a sword and a gun. Some say that staring at him is like staring at death itself. Behind that alias is someone who works as a world-famous musician named Brook. Even though he does not need to be in this world, in Mafia World, he chose to be here because of their leader. He chose to follow Straw Hat wherever she goes to a point that he's willing to forsake his career and money for her.

Cyborg. This name comes from the mechanical arms he wears, a trademark of some sort. They think that those are his real arms but it is not. He's well-known in handling their vehicles and firearms. Yes, this group also deals with firearms but they only sell it to those they trust and Cyborg is mainly handling them. Outside of the Mafia world, he's someone who goes by the name Franky - a simple carpenter in Galleyla Company.

Devil - this is a very common term anywhere but in the streets, there's only one person who uses this nickname and that's Nico Robin. A woman who betrayed several Mafia groups since she was a child and for whatever reason, she ends up being part of Straw Hat's group. Many may think that she will end up betraying this group but no, she didn't. They even went up against the World Government when they arrested her and almost sent her to prison. Amongst the Straw Hat's members, she's the only one who is known to the public, with her wanted posters everywhere but despite that, she managed to get more information than anyone else can ever get.

Cotton. This name does not fit the cruel world they live in, no it's a misfit but none of it matters at all. It's a misguiding name for everyone. Who is this person and what role does he have in Straw Hat's group? None can really answer that except the Straw Hats. Cotton serves as their doctor. Mafia Groups often get injured, sometimes, they get wounds that are too suspicious to be brought to the hospital. To avoid getting questioned, a doctor in a group is very necessary and that's Cotton's job. Outside of the group, he works as an Internal Medicine doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Grandline.

Blackleg. A very majestic name for someone cruel. A gentleman, but a madman. That's what he is. Many know that this person is one of the meanest fighters in Straw Hat's group. He does not use a knife unlike others and often uses a gun but his trademark is his legs. He can kick you to death if necessary.

God... It's a hilarious name and the person who goes by this alias often gets teased by his fellow family members, after all, they know him so well. The name does not fit with someone like him at all, but they still let him use the ridiculous alias. He's mainly the group's sniper, their backup when things get worse. Many enemies have fallen by his hands. A cruel fate to die without knowing where the shot came from.

Cat Burglar, the person in charge of their finances. She knows how to make money out of something, get profits twice of what is expected. When it comes to negotiation, everyone knows how difficult handling Cat Burglar is. She will make you agree to her bidding, find the right words to twist yours. She acts as the second leader of the group when their leader is being stupid.

Finally, Straw Hat. Hearing this name strikes fear in the hearts of many. When they hear this, they will be reminded of the deeds that this person did over the years since Straw Hat Mafia Group was established, that was 5 years ago.

She was nothing but a rat, someone insignificant in the streets, but over the years, she managed to build a group that is almost on par with the emperors. But aside from his influence, if there's a word that people can associate with Straw Hat, it's the word 'crazy'.

No Mafia Group will dare to antagonize the World Government several times, but she and his group did. Several times and they get away with it. Not only did this leader antagonized the World Government, but she also managed to get the attention of Big Mom and Kurohige. A fearless person, crazy and definitely dangerous.

Countless groups have fallen against the Straw Hats. They may be one of the smallest groups in Grandline, but it does not mean that they should be underestimated. Underestimate them and there's hell to pay. Just like now.

Doflamingo is confident with his throne, that someone will not dare to touch him and his business due to his deals with two of the Emperors in Grandline, but he's wrong. There's someone crazy that is willing to destroy face the wrath of the Emperors if it means Doflamingo will be kicked out of the city of Dressrosa.

Their group made their way to the mansion following the instructions provided to them. It might be too much for the leader to be in the frontlines, but Straw Hat never wants to be left out. If her members are going to shed their blood for this mission, so will she.

This operation was made possible because of her insistence, that they must take Dressrosa as their territory. Was it just about the territory? No. She's not doing it because she wants more power. She is doing this because she wants to.

 _"Help... Please help me."_ Hearing a friend cry for help made her heart clench. Straw Hat watches a friend cry, despair evident in her eyes. This person wasn't exactly a friend that she knew for years, but this is a person who showed her kindness even in dire times.

And here she is, on her way to a dangerous mission to kick the hell out of Doflamingo.

As they arrive in the mansion, they find the latch door in the dirty kitchen at the back. As planned, they split up so they can plant the bomb to the other side of the mansion while the others will work on getting the important documents from Doflamingo.

While the people are wondering about the explosion in the factory, the six of them worked their way with ease. Devil or Robin took care of the safety vault that Doflamingo has. She managed to snatch the important contracts that can put the World Government into a questionable position - or at least some of their officials.

"What do you think you're doing?" A raspy voice of a man came from behind. Robin stopped her hands to look at the man. It's none other than Doflamingo, standing with a gold revolver in his hand, pointing it to Robin. "I should have known that Straw Hats will be coming after my head but I didn't know it will be this soon. You think it is easy to get rid of me, do you?"

"We never thought it will be easy." She answered.

"Doesn't matter. You'll be dead soon." _Click_

"Look behind you." That was the only warning Robin gave to Doflamingo because as soon as she said it, the tall man finds himself being kicked to the ground by none other than Straw Hat.

She didn't stop there. She delivered another kick on his stomach but this time, Doflamingo counterattacked by swinging his fist at her which she barely dodged.

"Straw Hat... You dare mess with me."

"I mess with whoever I want to." She said but due to the voice changer, her voice sounds like that of a man's.

"You will be dead, chased by the emperors if you mess with their businesses. You know that." He said, pointing his gun to Straw Hat.

"If they can." She answered, pulling her gun out of her waist to point it back to Doflamingo.

The tension is high, none dared to move but the clock is ticking. They must be out of this mansion in less than 5 minutes lest they will be included in the explosion.

"Straw Hat!" One of Doflamingo's men named Diamante ran towards her, knife ready to kill but before he can do so, he finds himself on the ground with broken ribs.

"Who do you think you're going to stab?" Prince's voice echoed. He's been on standby just in case something like this happens. "It's time." He said. With a nod from Straw Hat, he quickly threw a smoke grenade on the ground, surprising Doflamingo and Diamante. They've been careless.

"Fuck you, Straw Hat!" _Bang!_

Sadly, the place where Straw Hat used to be is empty. The person escaped so quickly.

"Get all men and chase after them!" Doflamingo shouted. Most of their men are in the factory, investigating what happened and to see if they can salvage anything, leaving the mansion with almost no people.

The mansion's gates are heavily guarded, making Doflamingo think that if someone wants to get to him, they have to go through the tight security of his mansion if they used the destruction of the factory as a distraction. He's right, that's what they used. What he didn't account for is the fact that Straw Hat slipped in easily inside without detection.

How they slipped inside, he does not know and he does not have time to ponder because the next thing he hears is the explosions from the other side of his mansion followed by another one on the other side, almost as if trapping them inside.

As Doflamingo finds himself in a deadly situation, Straw Hat and her group find their way back to the secret door to get out of the mansion.

Nami is anxiously waiting for them to come back, the car is ready for them. With many people now awake due to the explosion, it's a risk for them to stay here any longer.

"Bartolomeo and his men are on the other side, distracting Doflamingo's men." Franky said after reading a message from one of their allies.

"Good. What about the others? Any message so far?" Nami asks.

"Oh! I received one from Sai. They managed to destroy Doflamingo's vehicles!" Chopper answered.

"Now, where could those idiots be?" Nami needs them here right now. They're beyond schedule.

And just as she was about to call them, the secret door opened, revealing Straw Hat and the others.

"Did you get it?"

"Yes, we did. And many more." Robin said.

"Good. Now, let's go!"

So, they signaled a full retreat from their allies and as they leave the place, they heard another explosion from the mansion.

Mission Complete for tonight, but they're not done.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"Damn it!" A loud shout coming from the office as they look at the local news distributed in Grandline.

World Government Corruption Involvement with Donquixote Mafia Group: Confirmed.

The news details the transactions of the World Government Officials in the Dressrosa branch with the Donquixote Mafia Group. It does not only involve providing prostitutes to the local branch heads, but it also involves distributing drugs and using the routes exclusive to the World Government for the drug distribution to different countries.

It would have been taken as a slander had it not been for the pieces of evidence, pictures of the transactions as well as signed deals between the group. It was a massive scandal that the World Government does not know what to do.

"What the hell are they thinking?!" Akainu slammed the newspaper on top of his table, angry that once again, World Government's name was placed on a tight spot, with a reputation that is now being questioned by the public. "Straw Hats are always in the middle of flames, always igniting it wherever they go. How many times do we have to stay silent with those bastards?"

"What do you suggest, Akainu?" Kong, one of the people with the highest ranks in World Government asks.

"They must be exterminated while they are still not at the Emperor's level. If they can do this much damage to our organization, how much damage can they do when they have more power?"

It all started with minimal damages starting from small cities in Grandline, but it escalated to a higher level before anyone can notice. One of the things they did was also expose the World Government's involvement in Crocodile's case about two years ago.

Crocodile used to be one of the officials they have, the head of the World Government branch in Alabasta city, but for some reason, Straw Hats managed to mess with the city's rules and inevitably exposing the deals Crocodile has, similar to Doflamingo's.

Even though there's a World Government branch and a new head in Alabasta, they cannot get hold of Straw Hats. That group made that city one of their territories and when World Government sends more of their troops to hunt them down, they only end up getting damages more than they expected.

"I don't like asking help from people not within the organization, but it seems we need someone more specialized in hunting Mafia Groups." He answered.

"Are you suggesting - "

"Yes. The Mafia Hunter."

Only one person wields this title. He's a very famous Mafia Hunter, turning them to the World Government for the bounties placed on their heads. A person with a mysterious background.

"Then be done with it."

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

A certain tall, well-built man looked at his mobile phone wondering what the message could be. After opening the message, he raises an eyebrow.

He does not get this kind of message every day and it's very odd for the World Government to contact him for a certain _job_ , whatever that is.

He shrugs his shoulder before answering the message that he will attend the _meeting_ tonight. It's not like he has anything to do anyway.

"Hunting the Straw Hats, huh?" He mumbles before nodding, smirking to himself.

_This will be interesting..._

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Whew! Finally managed to finish this chapter. Work has been hectic for me the past weeks and as you know, I usually write when I am free at work, but these days, nah... So yeah...
> 
> Anyway, will still try to update this story as frequently as I can. At least once a week, but I will try to update it twice a week.


	8. Gains

"Order for table number 5!" A shout came from the counter, handing two bottles of beer.

"I'm on it!" A dark-haired woman answered, smiling widely at her co-worker as she takes the beer to its designated table. "Here's your order!" She said to the two men sitting on table number 5.

"Luffia! Cheerful as always!" A tall, burly man with brown hair said as he takes the beer that she just put on the table.

"Shishishi! What do you mean? I'm always cheerful." She giggles at them before waving goodbye to tend to the customer's orders. This bar is fairly popular in this area in Grandline, near the borders of Akagami's territory and Dressrosa.

It's not the most popular bar out there, but they have a lot of regulars, so it may not always be full but the business is still doing alright. Luffia works here as a part-time waitress. Her cheerful personality is loved by the regulars, lifting their mood when they feel shitty for that day.

She just has this energy that will make you smile regardless of how bad your day is - one of the reasons why the owner of the bar hired her.

The door of the bar opens, revealing a 6'2 green-haired man wearing a white v-neck shirt paired with black jeans and boots, topped with a green coat. Many heads turned to look at the newcomer, all eyes looked away as soon as they recognized him.

"Zoro!" Luffia's waived her hands at the man before approaching him. "You're here to drink again?" She asked, head tilting to the side that made her look more innocent than she already is.

No one will believe that this woman is almost 23 years old. She looks way too young than her actual age. Some even doubt if she's of legal age.

"Yeah, but not much." He answers before taking a seat on a vacant table in the corner of the bar where no one will interrupt him.

"Ohh. Would you like to order the usual?"

"Just one bottle of beer. You get off in half an hour, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay. I'll drop you by in your apartment."

"Okay!" She nods before getting back to her work. No regular customers tried to talk to her as soon as the green-haired man arrived. They know who he is, someone feared by several mafia groups out there - the Mafia Hunter.

Not everyone knows that he's the Mafia Hunter, but there are a few groups out there who have seen him in action. This bar is one of the bars that some of the mafia members frequent, that's no secret at all and this guy visits this bar often.

It's not because he is hunting for someone, but because he's here for Luffia. This is why no one dares to flirt with Luffia right in front of him or else, they will find themselves under the scrutiny of his green eyes.

The tension in the bar is high, many are on guard in case the Mafia Hunter acts, but he didn't, just like the times when he drops by in this bar. He waits at his table until Luffia gets off work before they leave.

"Let's go!" Luffia said, now dressed casually, simple jeans and shirt.

"Okay." Zoro leaves money on the table before walking alongside Luffia as they exited the bar. As soon as they're out, he frowns at her. "Why are you still working at that bar?"

"There's nothing wrong with working at that bar. They're all friendly plus I need that work!" She said.

"Can't you find somewhere else to work at?"

"What's wrong with that bar?" Her question is so innocent that it reminded Zoro how his best friend is naive, very childish, and innocent. He wonders how she was able to survive in Grandline with this kind of personality.

He ponders if he should be telling her what he finds wrong in that bar, but in the end, he decided against it. She's too innocent to be dragged into a world that is filled with nothing but cruelty. Such innocence is better protected than be exposed to the underground world, at least that's what Zoro wants.

"Nothing." He finally said.

"Okay!" She smiles again, like a sun, always so bright. Zoro hands her the helmet so she can ride at his back.

The ride to her small apartment is fairly short, she can walk if she wants to, but Zoro still wanted to drop her by. He doesn't trust the streets even though it's still as early as 8 PM.

"Have you eaten? Do you even have food in your apartment?"

"I think I don't. I will just go to a nearby food stall." That made Zoro sigh I irritation. He should have known that Luffia has not eaten properly.

"Get on. I know a restaurant nearby."

"Are you going to treat me again?!" Her eyes sparkled that almost made Zoro squint. This is something he should have been used to, but years of being with Luffia will not make you immune to her charm and her eyes - especially her eyes.

"Don't I always treat you, anyway?" He grumbles.

"YAY!" She almost jumped back to his motorbike in excitement, hands wrapped around Zoro's muscled torso, and off they go to the restaurant.

They spent about 2 hours because her appetite is monstrous, always asking for more food, making the bill reaches an almost unbelievable amount. This is impossible for anyone, but not for Luffia. She can eat four times than a normal person can which is no surprise to Zoro.

They've been best friends for a long time now, 6 years to be exact. They met when Luffia was still a high school student with Zoro, two years her senior. The difference in their age and their school levels did not hinder for a friendship to form.

She is bratty, always insisting that she wants to be friends with Zoro. Persistence, annoyance, and an endless persuasion, he reluctantly agreed to be her friend. Or maybe he is just a simp for her puppy dog eyes that no one ever managed to say no to, yeah, that could be it.

_"Why do you want to become my friend?" he asks during their lunch period, the two of them sitting on the rooftop, eating their lunch boxes._

_"Because I want to." She answers, making Zoro roll his eyes at her. While his attention was onto other things, he failed to notice how Luffia's eyes turn melancholic, as if remembering memories from years ago. Yes, she is, but only she knows._

_Her eyes darted to the familiar bandana tied on Zoro's biceps. Often he receives scrutiny from their discipline committee for tying the bandana on his biceps, intentionally covering the school's logo. Those scrutinies and warning fell to deaf ears, he won't budge, not at all and it made Luffia happy, smiling at herself._

"I'll go ahead now. Try to look for a high paying job rather than in that bar." That was Zoro's words before he waves goodbye at Luffia, leaving her in a shabby apartment far from the main streets.

She walks inside. It's a one-bedroom apartment that barely has furniture. It just looks like a house for someone to sleep in, a cheap hostel. The paint on the walls is grimy, signaling it needs to be repainted. The couch is very old that looks like it will break at any given moment. The kitchen is barely filled with anything, just a proof that whoever lives here does not know how to cook.

Luffia opens the door to her room, a room that has almost nothing except for the double bed, a bedside table, a dresser that barely has anything except for a few clothes.

 _Creak..._ The sound came from the bedside table when she pushed it to the right, revealing a hidden compartment. She opened it to get her gloves as well and keys. One look and anyone can tell that those keys are not for this apartment.

_Ring... Ring..._

She picks up the cellphone in the compartment, greeting the caller with a cheerful voice: "Hi!"

"Someone's in a good mood." A familiar voice greeted her, it's Nami.

"Hmm, not really. Shishishi."

"Anyway, what time will they pick you up?"

"In an hour. Same spot."

"Okay, got it. Make sure you wear your clothes properly!"

"I know! You don't have to tell me." She pouted, frowning a little from the usual reprimanding voice of Nami.

"I am telling you because you often forget! Anyway, we will see you later."

The call ended. She placed the cellphone on top of the barely used bed so she can get her stuff underneath it. It's kept inside of a box sealed by a fingerprint system that Sab and Ann came up with.

Inside reveals her clothes, the Mafia Clothes as what her sisters call it. It is designed to keep their identities a secret. Although women in the Mafia World is fairly common, it doesn't mean that there are a lot of them. By hiding that they're women, they can easily do their activities during the day.

Luffia dropped out of college as after one semester with the excuse of no financial support. Zoro offered several times to send her to the college by lending her money but she refuses all the time. She doesn't need money at all, not when her parents left them a huge sum of money. She refuses it because she will have no time to spend when she's busy with her group.

After getting dressed, she walked out of the house through the backdoor, leading her to an alleyway where she usually meets her members. It didn't take long before a sleek black car stopped in front of her, window glass sliding down, revealing a familiar face of Usopp and Sanji who's in front of the steering wheel.

With no hesitation, she got inside, greeting the two of them.

"I really hate wearing this mask." She said, hands fumbling on the fabric covering half of her face.

"You don't have a choice. Besides, you already established that trademark of yours." Usopp shrugged, fairly used to the usual whining from Luffia. She is a fantastic leader when it comes to anything related to the Mafia group, but outside of it, she's just like an innocent puppy that whines at every little thing she dislikes. She still is, but there's a level of maturity in her when it comes to the group that often surprises them.

When they arrived at their current hideout, all of the members are already present. At the moment, they took over a villa east of Dressrosa. It's a fairly quiet place, perfect for their meetings such as this.

At a glance, it looks like a normal vacation house, but unbeknownst to them, it's a lair for one of the most notorious Mafia Groups in Grandline.

"Hello!" She greets, hands immediately taking off her coat and mask so she can breathe freely. Everyone lets her be, after all, it's just them in this house.

"Now that we're all here, we need to talk about what we're going to do with the assets we've taken from Doflamingo's groups." Nami said. All of them are sitting on the couch in the living room with boxes of pizza laid in front of them. This doesn't look like a Mafia Group's meeting, it looks like a hangout session with friends.

"How much did we get?" Luffia asks.

"We didn't get the firearms in his safehouse. From what Viola, most of the firearms exploded when the bombs went off in the factory, so there's almost nothing we can salvage."

"Makes sense because we placed several bombs right beside the foundations of the factory." Franky answered, making Nami frown a little, although she did not refute it.

"We managed to get the pieces of jewelry and some of their vehicles that were no registered that the World Government did not manage to get." Robin added.

"How much is the estimate, then?" Luffia inquires again.

"About 350 Million including the properties that we managed to get." Robin took the documents from Doflamingo's office including several papers for real estate, vehicles, and a file that details how to access a vault in Silca Bank.

"Hmm..." Luffia hums while chewing on the pizza. "Give the 150 million to Rebecca's family."

"Huh?" Most of them looked at Luffia, wondering if they heard everything right.

"Yeah! Give it to them. We don't need that much money. They do. With Doflamingo taking over their assets previously, there's almost nothing left, and if there are, the World Government will take over them because they have the jurisdiction with the prisoner." After the bombing incident, a certain someone tipped off the information to the World Government, making it easier for them to arrest Doflamingo together with his men. It was thanks to Sab who works in a Law firm office.

Rebecca is the granddaughter of one of the well-known businessman in Dressrosa. Because of Doflamingo's power and influence, he managed to take over the businesses that used to belong to Riku Doldo III - Rebecca's grandfather. Luffia met her at a bar, one time, being harassed by several men.

Doflamingo framed her grandfather that inevitably sent him to prison for the crimes he never committed. Now, they're working on freeing the man after it's been proven that Doflamingo was behind the slanders.

"150 million?" Nami asks again. Yes, with their group's fundings, they don't need that much money, but money is still money in her eyes. 150 million is not a joke.

"Yes. Besides, we've taken over Dressrosa as our territory now. We can open new businesses inside." The businesses she's referring to is not about firearms deals or underground betting in a fighting arena, she's talking about legal businesses they can open in Dressrosa.

With their protection of the city comes with a price, although Luffia forbids her members to force anyone to pay them a hefty amount of money. She wants to protect this city, not because of money but because she wants to. This is one of the biggest differences she has compared to other Mafia leaders.

"Alright. We will send them the money needed. With the damage in the city, I am sure that's also needed." Nami said.

"We still have to take a look at their secret warehouses outside of the city." Sanji reminded them. Of course, Doflamingo has a safe house outside of Dressrosa, just like anyone out there.

"It might not be a good idea to check on them right away. The World Government may be aware of it, we'd be walking in their traps if we check on it immediately." Brook suggested.

"Hmm, then let's check on it in a few days!" Luffia easily arranged a schedule for them.

"What do we do with these documents?" Robin pointed at the files they gathered. They may need the World Government information that Doflamingo used to have but they're not exactly needed at the moment, not when they already have Dressrosa under their wraps.

"Sab may need them, so I'll give it to her." Everyone nods. They know who Luffia is referring to, one of her sisters. The Straw Hats did not immediately know about the existence of Luffia's sisters until 2 years ago when her mouth slipped.

To say that they are shocked is an understatement. Who could have thought that her sisters are none other than Firefist and Blue? No one expected that two of the craziest figures in the Mafia World are women. Well, crazy runs in the family but it made all of them curious about their past.

They do not know anything aside from the fact that they came from an orphanage, or was that just a front? No one knows and they never bothered to ask either. Luffia will tell them when she wants to or she feels like it.

They are the only ones who knew about the identities of the three sisters, but who really are they?

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"I can't believe someone managed to get into the blind spots of the CCTV cameras." Thatch mumbled, eyes looking at several monitors, shaking his head in disbelief. They cannot find anything for the last 3 hours since the bombing incident in their warehouse.

What's odd is the coincidence that right after their warehouse blew up, Doflamingo's case broke out, another bombing incident too.

"I just find it odd that a day after our incident, Doflamingo finds himself under attack too." Namur said.

"We knew that Doflamingo's group is against several groups, but Straw Hats managed to get his neck. It doesn't make sense that they are behind the bombing incident in our warehouse. We never had any conflict with that group." Vista pointed out.

Yes, Straw Hats' group is one of the craziest groups out there, if not, the craziest and oddly enough, their group only consists of 8 members but their influence is massive. Quality over quantity, that's what this group is.

"If not them, who? The Emperors are not fools to start a war with us, not when the World Government is making movements against the Mafia right now, yoi." Marco's been frowning for who knows how long. This is nothing new to them, but the fact that they can't get a hold of any information about who planted the bomb in their warehouse does not sit well with him including with Whitebeard or Pops as what they prefer to call him.

"Firefist?" Haruta suddenly suggested.

"What does he have against us to do something like this?" Thatch wonders.

"That's what we don't know. But let's keep our eyes open just in case, yoi."

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Sab's cell phone lits up, signaling a text message just arrived. When she opened it, she's quite surprised to see her youngest sister's message.

' _Got some docs for u_ ' That's what she said and this only made Sab curious as to what it was.

' _Where are you going to send it?_ '

' _2morrow when we meet_ '

' _Ok!_ '

And that ends their conversation. She can't help but smile while thinking that she will see her sisters again. They don't meet often after all.

Sab lives in the Main city of Grandline, near the Headquarters of the World Government Office. This is the _safest_ part of the city as no Mafia Groups wanted to stay here. This may be the safest part of the city for civilians, but not for Sab but she has no choice.

Ann, on the other hand, lives in the borders between Akagami and Whitebeard's territories, chasing after enemies of their father.

Luffia lives just anywhere because of her territories. Sometimes, she's in Alabasta, sometimes she's in rural areas, it depends on where their operations are.

It's rare for them to meet, usually once every two weeks. It was hard to continue with their living arrangement after years of sharing a room together, but they persevered, for the sake of their goals.

None of them can rest easy until they find the people who conspired with the World Government to target their father. There are still some mysteries surrounding the main reason why the World Government was chasing after their father, hell-bent on killing him.

The sisters tried to contact Rayleigh about this, but he refused to tell them anything.

" _I promised your father that I will not tell you anything about this._ "

" _Even if it will help us get to the bottom of everything?_ " _Ann questioned._

_"It will but as you are now, there's nothing you all can do to change anything. This knowledge will only kill you, will make you reckless. If you ever get powerful enough to make a change, then I will tell you."_

_"At least tell us about his enemies." Sab insisted._

_"I know that the three of you wanted to avenge your parents, but what can you even do?"_

At that time, they just arrived in Grandline. They are nothing and compared to the enemies of their father, they can easily be killed.

It also made them think that whatever the information their father knew, it's so important that it can change Grandline. They did not press for more information from Uncle Rayleigh who is still outside of Grandline. He's a wanted man. One step inside, he will find himself cornered in no time at all, same with Roger's infamous members.

Maybe it was for the best that they knew nothing about it. Knowing about it doesn't mean they can do something. Rayleigh discouraged them from continuing their plans, but they made up their mind. Had it not been for those mafia groups conspiring with the World Government, their father's group wouldn't have been disbanded.

They all ganged up on them, attacking from different sides. Even if they are known as the strongest Mafia Group in Grandline, it doesn't mean they can win several wars at a time.

With a sigh, Sab just continued doing her work while feeling excited to meet her sisters again.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Ann smiled after receiving a text message from Luffia. She said that she's excited to meet them again after more than a week of not seeing each other. That smile was soon replaced by a frown when she heard Bay talking to someone on a phone when Ann was passing by.

"Marco. It's been a while." The name is familiar to Ann. She knows there are several people named ' _Marco_ ' but she knows that Bay is talking to one of the big shots in Whitebeard's Mafia Group.

"Are you going to drop by here, then? I see. Alright, see you!"

Ann immediately walked away, heartbeat racing as she steps inside the locker room for female employees.

She can't help but feel nervous at that conversation. If one of the big shots of the group visits here, it may pose as a problem for her. Even if she's confident that they don't know anything about her, she'd like to avoid any contact with them.

She just used this work to gain a little bit of understanding and information about the group. If they find her suspicious and start investigating about her, that's going to hinder her plans in killing Whitebeard.

' _On the brighter side, if I get close to one of them..._ ' She trailed off, shaking those thoughts away. There's no way that Whitebeard's Commanders will easily warm up to her. It will only look suspicious if she suddenly wants to get to know them.

She just hopes that they will drop by when she's not around. That will make things easier.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I added more about ZoLu. I felt like I did not give them much attention as I did with MarAce and KiddSab pairing in ASL Sisters fic. So here, I'll try to write more ZoLu scenes. Let me know what you think!


	9. The Sisters

The place is quiet, void of any human existence within its perimeter. This place quite far from the residential area, private, secured with an advanced security system.

At a glance, many think that this is just a regular mansion owned by one of the millionaires in the city but little did they know that inside is filled with firearms and traps should anyone wants to trespass.

Inside the tightly secured mansion are three women sitting in the spacious kitchen, eating buffalo wings and drinking beer, at least the two of them are as the youngest does not like to drink.

This is their main hideout located at Akagami's territory, quite far from the residential area of the city just like what they wanted. It's a two-story 5 bedroom mansion with an underground facility where they store most of their firearms as well as important documents that they keep.

It has a 6-car garage space that houses the vehicles they rarely use.

"Luffia, hot sauce." Ann said.

"Mm-kay." The youngest mumbles before passing the hot sauce to the eldest of the three. The dining area is silent except for the occasional burps coming from their mouths as they fill their stomach with the food that Sab bought.

They spend a good amount of time finishing the food before that can feed at least 6 people. Yes, that's how much they can eat, making everyone wonder how they can fit all of the food in their stomach.

Had they been like other orphans, buying a mansion like this is impossible. This is only possible because of the fortune that their father left for them, a fortune that the World Government failed to get. None ever managed to unravel the mystery of where Roger's wealth could be. Many speculate that Rayleigh took all of them or that the former members split the fortune, yet they didn't know that it's already in the hands of his children, the children that everyone thinks died on that island.

Thanks to that money, they can move freely to get their much-needed revenge.

"How's Dressrosa?" Sab opened a topic now that they're finally done eating.

"It's still damaged. It's not easy to repair the damage when the factory exploded but it will be fine." Luffia answered.

"Any plans for that city now that you have it?" Ann asks, wiping her hands with the napkin on the table, eyes looking expectantly at the youngest.

"For now maybe stabilize it. We have plans for a new business venture in that city, but we're still not sure what it will be." Planning has never been Luffia's strong suit. Her members would rather throw her in the middle of a battle than ask her for plans.

"By the way, Sab." She calls to the blond-haired woman. "I heard that Eustass Kidd will be released soon." The air in the room suddenly felt cold to Sab's body after hearing that name. She looks at her sisters, their eyes tell her that they are worried about this news.

The three of them share their secrets, no holds barred.

"I know." Sab answered, eyebrows frowning.

"Do you have any plans on how to deal with him?"

Sab looks at Ann, snorting at her question.

"I do not have time for him. Besides, once he's out of prison, he will still need to find his footing in the streets. He won't have time to deal with someone like me." That's a lie, she knows about this. Kidd will never let her sin be forgotten or forgiven. He will do anything in his power to get back at Sab.

The grudge he holds is deep, the scar she inflicted on him is still there, she knows this because that's how Kidd is.

"What if he wants to kill you?"

"He can try with all his might, but he can't." Sab is confident with her abilities to defend herself against any assassins no matter who they are. However, she's not sure how she's going to react should the time comes that they will face each other. Former lovers are now enemies, or at least Kidd views her as his enemy.

"Just don't do anything stupid." Ann said firmly.

"Not as stupid as you going after Whitebeard." Sab countered, making Ann glare at her while Luffia giggles.

The twins held a staring contest, Sab's eyes are challenging Ann's. In the end, the brunette sighed before saying: "It's not stupid."

"I beg to differ. We've been telling you that we should focus on the others. We have Big Mom and Kaido, not to mention the World Government. I do not understand your fixation with the Whitebeards."

"He's an enemy." She insists. "Think about it. Who was the most influential and powerful Mafia leader next to Dad? It's him. Who gained more territories when our father was forced to disband his group? It's him. If there's anyone who wants to get rid of our father, it's him."

"We don't have all the evidence, though." Luffia nonchalantly added.

"Proof? He's got almost half of our dad's territories!"

"But it doesn't mean that he conspired with the World Government and formed an alliance with the Mafia Groups to attack our father. I don't think the proof we have is enough to establish him as one of our targets." Sab countered.

For years since they arrived here, they gathered enough information to list down the enemies they need to target. Starting with the World Government Officials. They have yet to uncover all the people who were involved in the Buster Call 16 years ago and who were behind it, but they are getting there.

As for the Mafia Groups that conspired with the World Government, they tried to get more information and so far, from what they gathered, Kaido and Big Mom are one of them.

It makes sense that the two of them wanted to get rid of their father knowing that Roger defeated the two of them during his reign. Someone younger managed to pull a fast on them, claiming territories after territories and later proclaimed as the Mafia King.

"They're enemies we must get rid of." Ann's determined, making her sisters sigh, shaking their heads at the stubbornness. She still remembers what she saw heard years ago during a mission with the Revolutionary Army.

Whitebeard's men talking about how it was great that Roger is no longer there, dead. Remembering it made Ann's blood boil. She could never forget their marks. With the evidence that they gathered, hearsays from the streets, she knows that Whitebeard is an enemy.

They heard of the battles between two of the biggest Mafia Groups out there, a true legend.

In this cruel world, the strong will devour the weak. People will take all the chances available to soar higher, to get more powerful than they are. Ann refused to believe that Whitebeard is not like this. That man grew up in the streets, someone raised to be part of this chaotic world, a devourer.

Sab can only sigh. There's no stopping Ann when she made up her mind. None of them can prove that Whitebeard did not have anything to do with the alliance formed against their father years ago so she can't defend them against Ann's claims.

Luffia just shrugs it off. Unlike the twins who constantly target the enemies of their father, she's more or less doing the side-jobs. Often, she stumbles on information and gives it to her sisters to use.

Their goal is to avenge their father and kill all of them. This may prove to be too difficult given the number of enemies. They realized how powerful their father was.

"Anyway, let's take a look at what Luffia got." Sab changed their topic. Luffia handed over documents about Kaido and his deals with the World Government officials. This is very common especially when the Mafia Groups can offer a large sum of money, enough to blind the officials to follow the group's demands.

They need this information to target their enemies. They do not want to just attack them blindly without knowing what they are dealing with. That would be stupid and may get them killed.

"They have Wano city as their headquarters. It looks like they've been inviting several World Government Officials in their underground fighting arena." Sab read through the files and carefully looked at the information, only taking note of the important ones.

"It's not uncommon to see World Government Officials as part of the betting game." Ann said.

"Their underground fighting arena does not only include their slaves but also the prisoners from the local World Government branches." Sab answered, giving the papers to Ann.

"These are names. I don't get it."

"I recognized some of the names there because I have the same list in my office. Those are the names of the prisoners in the branch near Kaido's headquarters."

"Are you saying that the World Government Officials are sending prisoners in a fighting arena?"

"It's possible. I'll have to check the local officials in charge of that branch."

"If we get more information about that, maybe we can sabotage it!" Luffia's grin is wide, eyes sparkling at the idea of another sabotage mission.

"Maybe we can. We just need to piece all the details we have before we can formulate a plan against them." It's like killing birds with one stone. If they manage to somehow halt whatever deal the World Government and Kaido have, then it will be better. The more distracted an enemy is, the easier to get through them.

Their mission is not to kill the members of the groups they have on their list, although they do not mind doing so as long as it's for the sake of their mission. What they are aiming for is to kill the root - the leader.

Killing a leader of a Mafia Group is easier said than done. No one can easily find where the leader is and even if someone did, there's no guarantee that anything can be done to harm them, not when the upper echelons of the Mafia Group are there to protect the leader.

The three of them can only target the enemies slowly. With Luffia's group, they can start moving according to their plans. They may be working independently from each other but their goal remains the same.

"Just keep us posted on what you can find from Kaido. Now that his deals with Doflamingo stopped, maybe we can target him next." Ann said.

"Yes, I will. What about you, Lu?"

"Hmm... We have nothing at the moment except clean up the mess that Doflamingo left in Dressrosa. Once that's over, we are looking at targeting Big Mom's territories next. Shishishi!" Straw Hat's group already managed to snatch Ryugu city from Big Mom and this made their group an enemy to them.

"Let's take them on one by one. We have to be careful." Sab reminded them.

"Don't worry! Nami will scold me again if I go and declare war. Well, we are technically at war with them." Luffia pouted a little upon remembering Nami's dissatisfied face.

The twins are thankful that Luffia's members are responsible, taking care of her and making sure she won't do anything stupid more than she usually does. She does a lot of stupid things but at least someone will watch her back for her.

"I'll have to go now." Ann suddenly said after looking at her wristwatch.

"Your part-time job?" Luffia asks.

"Yes."

"Do you want me to drop you nearby? It's a little too far from here." Sab offered.

"No. I'll take a cab on my way there. It's not good if someone chanced upon us." Ann answered, hugging her sisters before she left.

"Do you have somewhere else you need to go?"

"Hmm, nope! Let's play Mario Kart!"

"Fine. Come on. Let's set it up." Sab agreed. It's a shame that Ann is not here right now so they can both tease Luffia whenever she losses. With that, the two played Mario Kart in this mansion while Ann is on her way to the bar.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"What do you say we drop by to where Bay is?" Thatch asks while he's driving the car on their way back to their territory.

They're currently in Shanks' territory, meeting one of the emperors of Grandline. It is not unusual for two emperors to form deals. Business is business after all and for Whitebeards, they do not mind signing a deal with Akagami's group.

Most of the time, their deals are about shares of stocks in their _legal_ companies. Like Whitebeard's group, Akagami's group also owns a corporation. If one needs to buy a certain business within their territory, they will have to inform the Mafia ruler in that city. That's one of the unspoken rules in the Mafia World, or at least between the Emperors.

"Is she there right now, yoi?" Marco asks. Bay is one of their trusted employees, managing the bars that the Whitebeard Group owns. She was entrusted to manage all of the branches of the Blue Phoenix Bar. The name itself is a dead giveaway of who owns the bar or which Mafia Group it belongs to.

Phoenix, there's only one person who has this nickname in the streets and that's none other than Marco.

"She is. I heard from her that a small branch is getting more popular, so she frequently visits it." Izou answered, looking back at Marco who is sitting in the backseat.

"It's fine, yoi. It's been a while, anyway, but maybe we can just use one of the private rooms in the bar. We don't want any commotion." Marco said. After all, their faces are well-known in the streets. They want to just visit Bay and see how she is doing.

Izou nodded at him before sending a quick text message to Bay that they will be dropping by.

It didn't take long before they arrived at the bar. Just looking outside, they know that it's jam-packed with regulars.

Thatch parked the car before the three of them made their way at the side entrance of the bar that's only for VIPs and employees. Bay is there, waiting for them.

"Is it always like this?" Thatch points at the bar, who is livelier than they expected. The last time they came here, it was not like this. There are no available seats and tables for all of the customers who want to go inside. Some of them are standing in the corner.

"No. It's only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mostly on Fridays since that's when people want to get wasted." Bay guided them to a private room, away from the prying eyes of the customers.

"Why only on those days?" Thatch inquired.

"Because of Ann."

"Ann, yoi?" Marco raises an eyebrow, curiosity evident in his eyes.

"Yes. She's our new star singer who works here part-time. She only works on those days for a few hours."

"She must be popular to get this many audiences." Izou commented. "I hope these customers are aware we're not selling prostitutes."

"Don't worry. They all know and the bouncers are very keen on protecting the staff, besides I don't think she's into that kind of work." Bay answered. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Whiskey, yoi. Thank you."

"Sex on the beach." Izou answered.

"Just a bottle of beer for me."

"Got it. I'll bring it in a moment." It didn't take Bay a long time to bring their drinks for them. Just as soon as she arrives, the cheers of the crowd echoed loudly in the bar, signaling the start of the show everyone's waiting for. "It's time."

The three Commanders of the Whitebeard Mafia Group all looked at the stage from the one-way mirror of the private room. A tall brunette woman walks on stage, wearing denim shorts, black knee-high boots paired with a white sleeveless crop-top, exposing her curves and abs. She's fairly tall, about 5'8 or 5'9.

She looks at the crowd, smiling at them. She holds the mic, greeting everyone with such a sweet voice that made Marco stare at her even more.

She started to sing ' _Wolves_ ' and her voice just penetrates deep into the souls of those who can hear it, including Marco.

He sips on his drink, eyes still on her as she dances to the rhythm of the song, swaying her hips even while singing. Marco looks like he's in a trance while looking at her.

He is too distracted by her that he failed to notice the looks of looks his family members are giving him.

"Someone's bewildered." Thatch whistled, making Marco snap out of his dazed state. He looks at Thatch who's looking smug, smirking at the blonde-haired man.

"This is the first time I've seen you look at someone like that." Izou added.

"What are you talking about, yoi?" He feigns ignorance, forcing himself not to look at the woman again.

They only answered him with a smirk, telling him they're not buying anything he says. Maybe he's too obvious. _Damn it_.

Who can blame him? The woman looks mesmerizing, like an angel that descended from heaven. Marco has seen a lot of beautiful women in his life. None of them is as beautiful as she is. He can't explain it, but there's something in the woman that makes him drawn to her, makes him curious.

"Bay. Could you do us a favor and tell us more about your star singer?" Izou asks, side-glancing at Marco who rolled his eyes at her.

"She started working here for months now. She came here looking for a part-time job because she needs money."

"If it's money, she can take Marco as her sugar daddy." That earned a deadly glare from Marco but the red-haired man jus snickered.

"I don't think she's into that either. She even refuses my offer to lend her a car. Instead, she uses her old bicycle when coming to work." Bay explains. This just makes Marco even more curious about her.

"Do you think you can introduce Marco to her?" Izou's idea just made Marco groan. He knows what they're getting into. "What? It's been a long time since you went out on a date."

"Yes, and it only ended being disastrous." Marco answers. He dated a few women before, but none lasted long, not in his kind of work. He knows the risks when it comes to dating. The risks of spies.

It happened a few times to him, but he caught all of them before he got emotionally attached. Still, it leaves a bad taste knowing that they got close to him to get information about their group.

"I can. If you'd like, Marco. She's single as far as I know and even though many men asked her out only to get refusal as an answer. Maybe you will not be like them." Bay encourages.

"No, thanks, yoi."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Besides, she's far too young, yoi." This is just a curiosity and nothing more.

"She's turning 26 this year, from what I can remember. Not too out of your league." Bay pushes. Marco still thinks she's too young for him. They have a solid 11-year gap even though he looks younger than his age.

"No. Just leave it at that. Anyway, we just dropped by to see how things are going, yoi. Just keep a lookout for any new faces that maybe snooping around."

"I know. With the recent incident, we're keeping our eyes open." The atmosphere turned heavier at the mention of the bombing incident in their warehouse.

"Anything you'd like to share with us?" Izou inquired.

"No, nothing worth mentioning. Although we heard Kurohige's men are out and about in the area but we heard nothing in the streets." Bay answered.

"Good. Just let us know if you chance upon anyone suspicious. If you can also get more information about Firefist, that would be great, yoi. Right now, he's one of the suspects."

"What makes you say that?"

"He targeted Big Mom before and they never managed to get hold of him. He slipped past their clutches so easily after what he did, yoi."

"Doesn't he leave his marks?"

"Yes, he does. We're not sure if he's the one behind the incident, but if we can get one suspect out of the list, that's the best scenario for us to narrow down who attacked our territory." Izou explained. All of them are aware that Firefist always leaves black cloth with his insignia. A fist surrounded by fire.

That's the only indication that he's the one who did the job.

They never found any traces of such cloth during their investigation but they can't just cross his name out of their list when they know that he could be the one behind it.

"Include Straw Hats too, if you can find more information about them, yoi."

"I will let you know once I've come across that information."

"I guess we should leave now, yoi."

"Eh? So soon? Ann's not done performing! It's not every day that you get to see someone who can make you react like that." Thatch is back to his annoying self.

"We got what we came for, yoi. There's no use in staying longer."

"Don't be so stiff, Marco. Live a little, will you?" The beautiful Commander of the 16th Division of the Whitebeard Mafia group sips on her drink while she waves her hand, signaling Marco to sit again.

"She's popular and I can understand why. Look at her!" Thatch points to the woman on stage, singing another song to entertain the customers.

Their cheers and whistles never stopped, they cheered for her name as loud as they can, eyeing her sexual desires that don't sit well with Marco. He tries to distract himself but her voice just makes it hard to do so.

 _This is like me._ He thought to himself as he finishes his drink.

After 3 songs, Ann bid her farewell and told them she will be back after taking a break.

"I can take you to the staff room to meet her if you want."

"No, Bay. We're leaving anyway, yoi." He insists and got out of the private room followed by a whining Thatch and Izou.

They got out of the area with Marco still trying to ignore the endless teasing coming from the two people he treats as his siblings.

Still, he left while still thinking about the woman on stage. Something in him awakened after seeing her, made him curious.

It is nothing, he thinks. Maybe he's wrong.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Here's the chapter you've been waiting for! It's really a slow burn fic so please bear with me. 
> 
> If you wanna be friends on Twitter, you can add me @/K_Margarrette This is my One Piece dedicated account that I recently created. 


	10. Relationships

The room is silent except for the hums coming from the green-haired man's throat while his eyes are focused on the swords he just wiped neatly.

Swords are not often used in the streets, not in this kind of age where a bullet can easily kill your target but this man still chose this weapon. Although he's not totally against the idea of using guns, why with him owning a few of them and it serves it's usefulness to him when his targets are meters away from him.

He stands up from his position, a destination in his mind, hand reaching for a certain folder that contains all information he needs for the next target.

The word _target_ may be a term used for assassins, although he could be one if you look at it from a different perspective. He's not a stranger to killing people, at least not the civilians. Zoro's targets are from the Mafia Groups in Grandline, often causing trouble to the residents with their illegal activities.

His finger gently opens the folder, eyes glancing at the written words on the paper. It details all the information he received from the Headquarters of the World Government. It had been a shock for Zoro when he suddenly received that call _._

_Zoro was adamant in picking up the call coming from an unknown number. He rarely receives a call from this mobile phone unless it's from Yosaku or Johnny providing him sufficient information about the bounties of the Mafia Group._

_His eyebrows furrowed after the fourth ring, deciding that it may be worth it to know who was calling him on this private phone._

_"Hello?" He greets, not providing his name._

_"Roronoa Zoro." It's the voice of a woman calling Zoro's name that inevitably made him raise his eyebrow in surprise. The voice is unfamiliar, something he has not heard of._

_"Who is this?"_

_"I am Stussy, from the World Government Headquarters. We'd like to meet you to discuss important matters about the streets." She said, no doubt smiling and expecting Zoro to abide by her terms._

_This is not the first time Zoro received a call from the World Government or Mafia Groups. Every organization out there has made contact with him to invite him to join their organization. All invitations are refused, citing a preference in working alone rather than working under someone he barely knows anything about._

_"If it's to join the World Government, I told everyone who invited me that I am not interested."_

_"This is not an invitation to join us, but rather, we'd love to hire you in hunting down a certain Mafia Group."_

_"Who?"_

_"Straw Hat." That made Zoro almost snort in amusement. That name's bee n on the streets for years now but the World Government has yet to get solid information about the leader of the notorious Mafia Group._

_Zoro tried to hunt them down before, just like anyone else but the lack of information proves it to be too difficult. Patience has never been his virtue. Besides, there are a lot of Mafia Groups he can hunt aside from Straw Hats._

_"At what terms?"_

_"Beneficial to you, no doubt about that. If you're interested, come to the place that I'll provide." Zoro hums, acknowledging the place she provided. He finds it a little odd that the place is somewhere outside of the city, a rural place with no residents whatsoever._

_He shrugs it off, assuming that the person who contacted him is someone from World Government's hidden groups. It's no secret to him that behind the justice this organization promotes is a world filled with brutality and questionable activities._

_When the day and time finally came for him to meet with Stussy, Zoro prepared himself for an ambush. With his name on Mafia Group's list of targets, he knows that this may be a trap._

_He arrives at the place, devoid of any humans within a hundred-meter radius. It's quiet, eerily so. His hand automatically reaches for his gun strapped on his belt, ready to pull it out and point it at anyone who may want to ambush him._

_"Pretty guarded, aren't we?" The familiar voice of the woman made Zoro turn his head in the direction where it came from. Green eyes met blue ones._

_"Shouldn't I?" Zoro questions, eyes still on her, guarded to what she might be up to. Carelessness will only reward you with nothing but tragedy, Zoro has learned this in the years that he started being a Mafia Hunter. Even if the woman looks harmless, he knows better than to base the abilities of the person by their appearances._

_"Fair enough. Let's get to the point, shall we?" This earned a nod from Zoro. "We'd like you to join our group, temporarily, in hunting Straw Hats."_

_The word 'temporary' just made Zoro curious as to what the deal is all about._

_"Why me? I am pretty sure the World Government has a lot of options aside from me, someone who works alone. Hiring assassins to hunt them down shouldn't pose as a problem."_

_"You are alone with no connections to several organizations that will tie you down, precisely our reason why we want to hire you in hunting this group." She explained._

_"Any reason why you're all focused on the Straw Hats?"_

_This just made Stussy smile. Underneath her beautiful face is a twisted personality, that Zoro can assure. He's seen people with the same look in their eyes, the eyes of assassins, filled with no remorse, no hesitation, nothing but the sense of satisfaction in killing their targets._

_"They've been nothing but a nuisance. Besides, this will help you cement your position in Grandline. To take down such group - "_

_"I am not after fame." He cuts her off, bothered by how she assumed that he wants any of the bullshit she's spouting._

_"Then, you're after the money."_

_"Money is good, but it doesn't mean that it is what I'm after."_

_"Justice for your family?" The way she smiled at Zoro after mentioning the word 'family' sends nothing but danger in Zoro's mind. World Government did a lot of research about his past, it seems. "The murderer of your family has long been dead, but the legacy he left behind is strong that it still lives to this day."_

_A minute of silence passed by, Zoro looks away, refusing to confirm her words, but his silence was taken as an affirmation to the woman's assumptions - that he's hunting Mafia Groups to justify his vengeance for the family that was murdered by a certain Mafia Leader._

_"What are the terms?" He asks instead._

_"You will be working with a few of our members in hunting them down. They may be small in number, but their allies and influence are all over the place. If you managed to kill one of them, the bounty will be yours, but aside from that, we will provide you with compensation by joining us."_

_"Sounds fair enough."_

_"One more condition." She added. "You are not allowed to disclose the identities of the people in the group nor will you be allowed to tell anyone about this negotiation."_

_"When will I meet them?"_

_"Tomorrow. We received reports about Straw Hats' movements in the past few days. We will target them when they least expect it."_

_Zoro only nodded before leaving the place. They know how to contact him, so all he has to do is wait till it is time._

After meeting the rest of his _teammates_ , Zoro's quite surprised to know familiar faces. Rob Lucci, this man is a well-known fighter in the underground arena, winning fights like no one's business. Kaku, this man works as one of Grandline's famous architects. No one will guess that he's a World Government agent.

Those two are the only ones he's familiar with. The others are a blur in his mind, they look familiar but Zoro does not have much information about them. Jabra looks like he could pass as a member of a Mafia Group, while Blueno looks like he's one of those bartenders at a bar.

Zoro spends his time thinking about who he should target first when meeting the Straw Hats. He could target the leader but he knows that won't be easy, not when that person is known for his abilities to escape situations that shouldn't be possible for a human.

Hunting Mafia Groups is never an easy job. Only a few managed to survive long.

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Zoro looks at his primary cellphone, wondering who could be contacting him at this hour. He raises an eyebrow as soon as he saw the caller ID.

_FB - Tashigi._

He thinks for a few seconds before sliding the answer button to pick up the call, grunting a casual 'hello' to the caller.

"Zoro! I hope you're not busy today."

"Nah. Just lounging. What's up?"

"I am free tonight if you are." Zoro doesn't need to see the woman to know that she's blushing. Probably because of the meaning behind the invitation.

"I'll have to go somewhere tonight." He briefly answers.

"Ah. Okay. That's fine. Next time, then." Her voice sounds dejected but Zoro won't tell her that.

"Okay. See you whenever."

He ended the call feeling slightly guilty at the lie he just told her. Well, technically, there is a place in his mind that he wants to visit, but it's not an errand that he cannot cancel.

The invitation was for him to spend a night at her place for sex. Their relationship only involves physical activities, that hasn't changed for months now. FB stands for fuck buddy because that's what they are.

Dating or being in a relationship proves to be a hassle to Zoro, not in the kind of job he has. Maybe he's just using this as an excuse to get away with a commitment that will only end up with complications and headaches.

Sex with Tashigi is pleasurable, no doubt about that. Whenever he spends the night at her place, they always end up doing it till midnight, or sometimes till dawn, depends on whether they have commitments the next day.

Their bodies are compatible enough, they knew each other for more than a year now, yet Zoro is still perplexed at the idea of being her lover. He likes her, but not enough for him to consider that commitment.

He briefly shakes his head along with those bothersome thoughts, opting to dial Yosaku's number because there's something he wanted from him. After the short arrangement, he decided to leave the house to meet Yosaku who is with Johnny.

The two of them are also Mafia Hunters just like Zoro but often they deal with information selling that made Zoro's job easier using his contact with them.

He arrives at the designated place a little bit late than the agreed time.

"Did you get lost again, brother?" Johnny snickers as he asked Zoro the question.

"Shut up." The green-haired man growled in annoyance, rolling his eyes at the men before him.

"You always forget the direction to places you've been to. It's a wonder you still can hunt in the streets." Yosaku added, snorting at the insult.

"I did not get lost." He did. Zoro will never admit this unless he's forced to. Only Luffia managed to get him to admit that he gets lost most of the time. "Kidding aside, did you get what I asked you to?"

"Certainly!" An affirmative answer came from Johnny, fishing out a USB from his pockets before tossing it to Zoro. "Inside is all that you asked."

"Good. I'll transfer the payment tonight." He nods at them, thanking them for giving the information he needs.

"That is hard to come by, brother. It's not easy." Johnny shakes his head, probably remembering what they went through during the information digging for whatever Zoro asked.

"Thanks for this! I appreciate it!" Zoro knows that the information inside is not something he can ask from anyone else aside from these two. It's the information about his _teammates_. He knows he shouldn't be digging anything about them, but he needs to prepare himself for worst-case scenarios.

"Are you going for a hunt tonight?"

"Not tonight. Tomorrow, probably." Zoro answered truthfully. "I'll go ahead now."

"Eh? You're leaving? How about a drink?"

"Nah. I'll go somewhere else." He answered Yosaku's question before turning his back on them to leave.

"Oh? Are you going to visit Luffia again?" That prompts him to stop, head turning to the two smirking devils he calls friends.

"And?" He challenges them, his left eyebrow raised as he waits for their answers.

"Heh~ It's been years. We thought you two would have a change in your relationship. Preferably from best friends to lovers." That made Zoro turn his body to face them again.

" _Aniki._ " Johnny emphasizes while walking closer to Zoro's position. "Grow some balls and ask her out."

"She's my best friend." It sounds like a reminder coming from Zoro, but for some reason, he feels like he's reminding himself more than he does to his friends.

"That shouldn't stop you from asking her out." Johnny insists, making Zoro sigh in exasperation. Again, he's reminded of his situation, of the danger it holds.

"With the kind of job I have, no. I will keep her out of danger." Thinking of her brings a smile to Zoro but at the same time, it brings him immense worries that he can't easily shake off.

It's not like he's not aware of the feelings he has. It's been there for a long time and probably one of the reasons why he is adamant in committing himself to Tashigi.

Because he's in love with his best friend.

It sounds ironic, quite laughable of him, but his situation is far more dangerous for Luffia. He could never bring her to this kind of world. Should she be put in danger because of him, Zoro's not sure what he will do.

Confession? Yes, he thought of that multiple times that he lost count. What will confession do to their relationship? It's either going to make it or break it. Zoro's sure it's going to be the latter.

"Aniki. She's not as fragile as you think she is - ouch!" Johnny yelped after feeling Yosaku's kick from behind. "What was that for?!"

"Just go along now, Brother Zoro. Contact us when you need anything."

Yosaku's suspicious dismissal of the topic confused Zoro despite his thankfulness, he still finds it odd. There's something he can't point out but he pushes it at the back of his mind in favor of being thankful that the topic will now be set aside.

"Alright. I'll see you two around." He left the area, a certain bar as his destination this time.

About a minute since he left, Yosaku slapped Johnny's head using his palm, earning another groan from the man.

"Idiot! Do you want to get killed?!" He shouted.

"I didn't mean it, okay?!" Johnny's hands are in front of his chest as an act of defense from any attacks that may come from Yosaku.

"If she ever finds out we told him, she's going to be mad at us!" Yosaku warned.

"I know! I know! Still! Aniki thinks that she's fragile and can't handle danger when she's not." There's no need to further elaborate on what Johnny meant by his words - words that Zoro must not hear at all cost.

"We promised that we're not going to tell Aniki unless she told us to do it."

"Fine! I'll be careful from now on. Sheesh."

Both of them don't understand Luffia's actions but understanding them will not give them any right to tell Zoro about Luffia's true identity. That she's Straw Hat.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Kidd's eyes are fixated on the picture pinned above in this double deck bed. It's a picture of a blond-haired woman whose smile used to bring happiness into him. A smile that he's used to seeing when he wakes up in the morning.

Now everything is nothing but painful memories to him. What's left is hatred that he can't get off his chest. His hands are shaking upon remembering the last time they saw each other.

It had been almost two years since that happened.

_Kidd was sitting on the right side of the courtroom right next to Killer and his lawyer as they wait for the judge's verdict. The verdict for his case._

_He was cursing at the top of his head for Apoo's betrayal that caused this situation to happen. The betrayal, he can accept, this is part of the underground world, the Mafia world._

_What he can't accept is the fact that his lover is on the other side of the court, sitting right next to the people who devised the plan to send Kidd to Prison._

_He briefly glances at her, eyes on the judge, calm and composed as if Kidd's presence doesn't bother her at all._

_She must have felt the heavy stare coming from the red-haired man because the next second, she turned her head, meeting Kidd's stares. It was only for a few seconds before she looks away, eyes fixated on the woman who is about to deliver the verdict for this case._

_The case had been the illegal distribution of drugs that Kidd never did. The pieces of evidence all point to Apoo's favor, much to Kidd's displeasure._

_"All Rise." The judge took his position in the middle of the courtroom, eyes landed on Kidd's camp. There's a hidden meaning behind the almost unnoticeable smile of his that awakens Kidd's instincts. He knows this man is an enemy. "Proceed." He orders the woman who now stands before them all, papers on her hand as she began reading Kidd's judgment._

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, I will now read the jury's verdict for Eustass Kidd's case."_

_It made Kidd's heartbeats race when the woman began speaking, stating that the decision had been made based on the evidence and by the law. All Kidd can hear is bullshit coming from her mouth._

_"... We hereby declare Eustass Kidd as guilty without a reasonable doubt and shall be sentenced to 10 years in prison."_

_That made Kidd clenched his fist. He had expected this will happen but hearing it from them made his heart burst with uncontrollable anger._

_"Kidd." Killer calls out to him, hand firmly attached to his shoulder as if he's trying to prevent Kidd from causing havoc. "We will get you out of there."_

_"I will fucking kill them." He whispers to himself while his eyes reflect murderous glares towards Apoo's camp._

_"Not now. Calm down."_

_"How the fuck can I calm down?!" He almost shouts at Killer, trying to shake the firm grip on his shoulder but the blond-haired friend of his did not falter._

_"If you cause a scene here, the judge may dismiss any appeal we will make. Think clearly!"_

_He calms down a little but as soon as his eyes met Sab's, all anger came back again. There's no forgiveness for what Apoo did to him, never in this lifetime will he forget this betrayal, neither will he do the same with Sab's._

_He trusted her, he loved her, yet here she is, standing on the other side, defending Apoo's side and won the case with ease._

_It takes a lot of time before Kidd will trust someone. The trust he gave her is more than he ever gave to his men. He valued her like she's everything. Meeting her was surreal for him. Never had he met someone who made him feel alive, igniting the hidden desires within him, making him feel at home when she's around._

_The police officers approached Kidd to bring him to his prison cell._

_"Enjoy the prison cell, Kidd!" Apoo smirked at him while he's walking in the middle hallway towards the exit of the courtroom. He stops dead on his tracks to look at Apoo._

_"This is not over." He said before looking at Sab who's as eyes bear no emotions. The lack of emotion in her eyes made it more painful for Kidd. This is the woman he loved? He couldn't believe it but this is his reality. He can't help but think that she only got close to him so she can send him to prison. A spy._

_"Move." The police officers commanded only to receive a deadly glare from Kidd._

_He looked at Sab before saying: "You will pay for this." Their eyes did not linger, still looking at one another. One is being escorted away, to be imprisoned while the other one remains standing at the cheers of victory from Apoo's camp._

"I hope you are prepared for what is coming, Sab." Even whispering her name made Kidd angry. The grudge is so deep, engraved to his soul that a sheer name can make him fume in madness.

"You will die by my hands, I swear it."

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

_Sab refused the afterparty invitation of Apoo, telling him that she has errands and other cases to attend to when there's none._

_It's a good thing the man didn't insist because Sab doesn't have the energy to explain further._

_She left the courtroom, standing proud and tall even when Kidd's group are still there, glaring daggers at her. If they could kill her right there and then, they would, Sab does not doubt that. They will mangle her, torture her if possible before killing her for the betrayal that she did._

_A sigh left her lips, trying to calm her nerves and emotions, willing herself to walk further, to keep herself from emitting emotions that may appear in her eyes - just like what she's supposed to do, just like what she's trained to._

_A relieved sigh escaped her lips as soon as she is out of the building, but not yet. She can't let her emotions get the better of her until she's sure no one can see her._

_Her eyes saw the approaching taxi, hand raised to stop the driver. It didn't take long before she arrived in her apartment, hands shaking while holding onto the keys that she can't get into the keyhole._

_"Fuck." She mutters to herself as soon as it opens, followed by hurried steps and a loud sound as soon as the door is closed._

_Alone, she's finally alone and that's when she let her emotions get the better of her. Her tears now falling, sobs escaped her throat as she curses at herself - nonstop._

_It was a cry coming from a woman who watched her lover sentenced for imprisonment. No, she didn't watch. She was the one who sent him there._

_"I'm sorry." She mutters an apology to him. This apology will never be heard by him, ever._

_No matter how many times she will apologize, nothing will change. This is the path she chose - her choice. A choice to hurt the man she loves to achieve her promise of revenge to her family._

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Finally finished this chapter. It's really hard the past few weeks for me since I was so goddamn busy with work. But hopefully things will get better. Stay safe everyone and let me know what you think!
> 
> I kinda think the pacing is slow? But I mean, it's a slow burn fic, but any suggestions are deeply appreciated. <3


	11. Encounter

"What time do we leave?" A question came from Luffia directed at Nami who is busy talking to Sanji. The leader of the group is in front of the fridge, taking out a bucket of ice cream that she's been dying to eat.

"In 10 minutes, so put that back where it should be." The answer made Luffia pout but decided to put the food back.

"Everything is prepared now. We should be okay to leave anytime soon." Sanji said.

The group will be raiding one of Doflamingo's hideouts and warehouses to check what they can salvage. There may be nothing there considering that they put off the raid plans a week after Doflamingo's imprisonment, but this is for safety measures and to give them time to investigate if the World Government knows about the place.

Fortunately for them, in the days that they left the warehouse alone, no World Government officials raided the place, so safe to say that they may not know that it existed.

It's in the middle of the night, the streets are filled with people hidden behind the shadows, no doubt commencing their illegal activities and trades. These kinds of activities are fairly normal at this hour. Often you will see groups of people meeting up to beat each other because of _a turf_ war.

Just like now, when they pass by a certain street east of Dressrosa, they saw several motorbikes parked nearby with about a dozen men fighting each other, fists thrown at their faces, legs kicking. Some of them even have knives in their hands, swinging them at the people they see as their enemies.

Luffia blinks as their car passes by the _battle royale_ , eyes blank, devoid of any emotions except for that glint of innocence and curiosity that a child usually has. This expression fooled many, her family members lost count of how many thought that Luffia is a naive woman who has been recluse from the events of the real world. How foolish of them to think that she is not aware of the world hidden behind the facade of prosperity this country provides.

They arrived at their destination. The place is eerily quiet devoid of any human as they expected. It will pose a problem should there be anyone around while they raid this place.

They parked their cars somewhere hidden from the eyes of anyone who may pass by on the road.

As they get off, Luffia can't help but look at the entrance, eager to enter the place and explore it. The area is fairly big with the warehouse about 50 meters away from the main gate while the manor is just right in front of them. Leave it to someone like Doflamingo to have a spare house for him to use.

"Let's go!" Luffia said, her voice came out as raspy, like a man because of the voice changer she wears underneath the mask.

She walks inside, disregarding the warnings from her members. The gate is fairly high but she can climb on it just fine.

"Let's open it normally, okay? We can unlock it." Nami said, thumb pointing to Usopp who is already in front of the system-locked gate.

"Wouldn't it be more fun if we just climb over?"

"No, Leader." Robin's calm voice resonated, prompting Luffia to look at the tall dark-haired woman. "That may trigger the security system in this place, so it's best not to."

"Fine." She shrugs.

They call her ' _Leader_ ' when they're outside, careful not to call her by her name. Her identity will remain a secret for as long as possible.

"Aha!" The triumphant voice of Usopp took everyone's attention, eyes on the gate that is now unlocked.

"Hehe! Let's go." Luffia was the first one to enter the gate, her grin s hidden underneath her mask, a child-like glinted eyes as she surveys the area while walking towards the warehouse, followed by Franky and Chopper. Sanji, Brook, and Usopp remained outside to keep an eye on anyone who may be snooping around. Nami and Robin went inside the manor to check look for anything valuable to them.

Franky opened the locked room, creating noises as he forcefully opens the door using one of his tools, metals clanking, making Luffia scrunches her nose in annoyance at the noise produced. It was fine because it only lasted for less than a minute.

As soon as the door opens, they turned on the lights to see what could be inside. Franky whistles in admiration upon seeing two sports cars, boxes of firearms.

"They have these." Chopper suddenly said, lifting a bag of white powder for everyone to see.

"Figures." Franky answered, shrugging the sight. "Maybe we could just drop those in the trash." Their group doesn't sell drugs. Mafia groups often deal with illegal activities, they're not an exemption to that, but this is out of their zone because Luffia doesn't like it.

"Yeah, we can let Sanji deal with those." Luffia shrugs, opting to walk away in favor of looking around. Her footsteps echoed in the room, sending vibrations while she walks around, looking for nothing in particular.

There's nothing but firearms, grenades, drugs, and cars in the warehouse, which they think are useable for them.

"I will load these babies in the truck." The second vehicle they used is a mini dumb-truck that Franky drove. It looks like your regular delivery truck in Grandline, but its usage is anything but legal.

Chopper helped Franky load the boxes of firearms in the truck while Luffia remains inside, staring at the car that she wants to drive. It's a black Maserati sports car that only millionaires can afford. It's barely used given how it still looks brand new.

Luffia nods to herself, thinking how cool it will be to drive this baby, smirking underneath her mask that soon faded away when she heard a rustle coming from the bushes outside of the storehouse. She remains still, moving slightly to the right side, eyes are on the reflection of the car, using it to see what's behind her.

The car's glass window only reflects the seethrough glass window behind her, nothing else, but she could have sworn that she heard a rustle, so she remains still, waiting for anything to happen, and there it is. A small movement coming from the bushes that are hardly caused by the wind.

Someone's there.

"Leader, I think we can get these back the next day. We've got all we need except for the boxes of drugs and the cars." Franky said.

"Sure. Let's go." Luffia immediately stepped outside, alarmed and guarded. Her guarded expression did not escape the eyes of her members, so they all looked at her, waiting for commands.

She didn't get to utter any warning to them because as soon as she was outside, a few meters away from their vehicles, a sword came swinging at her neck, aiming to kill her in one move.

Unfortunately for the assassin, she is quick on her feet, ducking her head as soon as she heard the man's footsteps.

"Enemies!" Franky shouted, alarming everyone who took out their weapons as they scurried off to leave the place. They can't fight them when they don't know how many enemies they have. That will only result in disaster.

 _Bang!_ It's the first shot aimed at the Straw Hats only for it to make contact with none of them.

 _Bang!_ Another shot.

"Let's get out of here!" Nami shouted for Luffia who is busy fighting the man with two swords.

Luffia's eyes widen at the man who kept on attacking her. The sword tip made contact with her arms, ripping her coat apart. She winced when she felt the sting coming from the open wound on her arm, soaking the coat with her blood.

She stepped back to regain her footing only to be attacked again by this man, thrusting his sword. Luffia fought back, maneuvering her body with great ease to kick the man on his stomach. She made solid contact but didn't stop there. She twisted her body to deliver another kick aimed at the man's face.

"Damn it." The man in a green coat muttered a curse under his breath, hand slightly pressing the are where Luffia kicked him. "You're one hell of a fighter."

"So are you." Luffia answered, looking at the man who she calls her best friend. He stands before her, holding two swords, his third sword still sheathed on his hips, grinning at the sheer joy of the fight, an expression that looks foreign to Luffia. His face is hidden under the hood of the coat, but this did not hinder Luffia to recognize Zoro.

The area is dimly lit by the lights from the streetlamps several meters away from them. Her members are already in their vehicles, ready to leave anytime now.

"Leader! We have to go now!" Luffia knows this without being told by her members. The bullets came raining down on them and it surprised Luffia that none of those shots are aimed at her considering she's the leader.

Luffia sees from her peripheral views two or three more people coming out of their hiding spots, guns pointing at her members. This made her twitch in annoyance, worried taking over her mind for her members. Even if she worries, she knows they will be fine.

What is not fine is her situation as she sees a man wearing a white suit, approaching them while holding a knife using his right hand while the other is holding a revolver, no doubt will be pointed to Luffia any second now.

Target the leader, this has always been the rule of the Mafia World. If you take out the head, the group will slowly fall apart. Luffia cannot think of any Mafia Groups that will hire Zoro to hunt her down so it could only be one organization - The World Government.

"Sorry, but can't let you leave this place alive." The green-haired man said, swinging the black sword on his hand, shaking off the droplets of blood - Luffia's blood.

"Mafia Hunter." She calls out to him.

"Straw Hat."

"Didn't think you will be hunting us in a group." She told him.

"Does it matter?" He closes in, one step at a time as she steps back, matching his movements. Their eyes never left one another, just watching each other to see who's going to make a move first.

"Sorry, but today is not the day that we will die." She smirks under her mask before she shouts for Usopp's name.

This alarmed the green-haired man. He rushes to Straw Hat only to be met by a smoke bomb that blinded him for about a minute. The next thing he heard is the noise of the vehicles running away.

"Had you used a gun to kill him, Straw Hat wouldn't have gotten away." Kaku approached Zoro, a disappointed scowl written on his face.

"I was testing how good he is in a fight." Zoro answers, shrugging off that one of the most infamous Mafia leaders got away. At the back of his mind, he knows that Straw Hat won't go down that easily even if they used guns. They could be wearing a bullet-proof vest inside.

"Testing Straw Hat is not our goal. Killing him is." Kaku reminded Zoro who remains silent. The tension between the two men is evident from the way they stare at each other.

This is the reason why Zoro prefers to work alone. No one will restrict his movements or tell him what to do, demanding him to stop being whimsical, this he cannot do. As much as he enjoys hunting Mafia Groups, he loves a good fight. He just doesn't hunt for money, he hunts to quench the thirst of adventure running in his veins, to seek opponents to test himself against, whether it's a fistfight or using his swords.

Straw Hat proved to be a worthy opponent, his movements are something Zoro did not expect a Mafia Leader has. Granted, most Mafia Leaders are good fighters, but he's on a different level, Zoro can tell even with just the brief exchange they did.

He can feel that there's something with Straw Hat that he can't point out.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"How did not one notice those people? And who are they?" Nami was asking no one in particular but Usopp somehow felt obligated to answer.

"We didn't notice them at all. We checked the vicinity when all of you were inside but saw nothing."

"They must be World Government agents. There's no way any Mafia Groups will be there to ambush us just like they did." Robin said.

"That was pretty scary. Good thing that they didn't get any of us." Sanji breathed out the smoke he inhaled earlier, clouding the air with that familiar smell of cigarettes. Had they not been equipped with guns, those people would have killed most of them.

"Only Luffia's injured." Chopper shakes his head while attending to the shallow wound on Luffia's right arm. The cut is not deep, thank goodness. "We were busy with the other people so we didn't see your opponent. How large is the knife they're holding to cut you like this?" The wound starts from her shoulder blades down to her biceps.

"Hmm, was just surprised with his attack." She shrugs, disregarding the sting coming from the wound.

"You should be careful. You know they will target you firsthand, Luffia-san." Brook reminded her.

"Don't worry. I will!" She smiles, a little relieved that none of them managed to see who she was fighting. It shouldn't hurt them if she hides that the one she fought earlier is her best friend, the world-famous Mafia Hunter.

At least this is what she thinks.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"Eustass. Out." The man in uniform signaled Kidd to walk out of the prison cell. "Congratulations." He said, but there's nothing but sneer in his voice.

Kidd stopped right at the prison bar, standing beside the smaller man in uniform. He looks down before he smirks, hinting at the man with a dangerous warning.

The man shivered, stepping backward in a poor attempt to escape Kidd's menacing glare - a reaction that made Kidd swell with satisfaction, but he supposes it's enough for now.

Satisfied, he steps away, walking out of the shitty prison cell for 2 years. The inmates' cheers got louder after seeing Kidd walking in the hallway with a bag on his shoulder, ready to go out of this damnable place.

The officers guided him to the exit of the building where his men are waiting for him, all smiles as soon as they saw Kidd carrying his bag.

"Finally." Wire said, patting Kidd on the back before pulling their leader into a brief hug.

"Indeed. Finally." He hugged him back before doing the same to Killer and Heat. "Shall we get out of this place?"

"The men are waiting in our hideout, ready to celebrate your return, Boss." Heat answered.

"Good. Let's go."

They stepped out of the building, heading to the car that is parked nearby. Kidd looked at the place one last time, reminding himself that he's never going back there again.

Looking at the scenery outside of the car feels odd for Kidd. It's been two years since he's seen the outside world and it feels damn good to be back to where he belongs, on the streets.

There are a lot of things he must do now that he's back. One of them is to hunt down Apoo and his group. After the blown up deal and the betrayal, Kidd tasked Killer and the others to gather information about Apoo. They plan to get their revenge sooner than later.

This is not the only thing he will do now that he's free... Sab will be next, of course.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"Hey, Marco. Do you want to drop by at the bar again?" The blond-haired man lifts his head to look at the annoying face of his brother, Thatch, who is wiggling his eyebrows at Marco, a knowing smile on his lips. He can only sigh as he shakes his head, exasperated at the neverending teases coming from his siblings.

"Thatch, need I remind you we have a lot of things to do rather than dropping off somewhere, yoi?"

"But it's not just somewhere. It's in a specific bar with a beautiful singer that caught your eyes, yeah?"

"You will never let me live that down, do you?" Marco stands up from his seat to get a cup of tea from his cupboard. Looks like he may need this.

"Come on, live a little will you?"

"The investigation about that incident is still not over, yoi. That should be one of our priorities."

"We have our people keeping an eye on that investigation, okay?"

Marco did not answer and just ignored Thatch all together. Good thing someone knock on the door to make Thatch shut up about his ramblings.

"Hey, Marco! We got confirmation from Akagami. The goods should be ready for us to pick up." It was Haruta who stepped inside to inform Marco of the ongoing deals with Akagami's group.

"When?"

"This afternoon."

"That's perfect!" Thatch clapped his hand twice, standing up to go to Marco, placing his arm over the blond's shoulder, shaking it off a little. "We can drop by at the bar!"

"Bar? Oh, you mean the one near the borders? Can I come too?" Haruta smirks, no doubt that she's getting what Thatch is referring to. Izou and Thatch must have told all of their siblings about the beautiful bar singer that caught Marco's eyes, and they're treating it as entertainment to tease him non-stop. Most of them are now curious about this woman.

"Can you two stop, yoi? It's Tuesday." Marco regretted mentioning the date today.

"Ah-ha! You remember the days she's working there! No wonder you don't want to drop by!" Thatch was having the time of his life teasing the hell out of Marco.

"Hmm... We can reschedule the pickup tomorrow if you'd like." Marco rolled his eyes at Haruta. He's not going to delay this any further just because of a mild curiosity over someone he just saw.

Although he's quite tempted to do it, there are priorities he must do first.

"No, let's pick that up now. Thatch, get someone to drive the truck over this afternoon."

"Boring." The whines got ignored by Marco as they all proceed with their daily activities. By 3:00 PM, they left the building with the truck not far behind them.

They entered a remote building in Akagami's territory. Most of Akagami's men knew what the Whitebeards came here for, that's no secret, which is why they got past the main entrance of the building which serves at the Headquarters of the Akagamis.

"Marco! Good to see you again, my friend!" They were greeted by Akagami who is all smiling at them. "Do you want to join - "

"Never, yoi." There's a clear irritation written on Marco's face, eyebrow raised at Shanks' smiling face. This invitation is always part of his greeting whenever he sees Marco. Maybe it's a joke, maybe it's not. Regardless, Marco's answer will remain the same.

"HAHAHA! Damn, I thought I have the chance this time."

"Can we get the goods now?"

"Sure! It's all ready for you to pick them up." Marco nodded when Shanks guided them to the storehouse where the firearms and bullets are stored. A few men loaded them onto the truck while they are discussing the payment and sealing the deal.

It was fairly easy for them to complete the deal. After all, they've been doing this for a long time now.

After the transaction, the truck left the vicinity followed by a car that Vista is driving. This is to make sure that it will arrive at its destination safely. Marco is with Thatch and Haruta. As usual, they've been teasing Marco nonstop.

"We can go back this Friday, though." Haruta suggested, looking at Marco who is comfortably sitting at the backseat, trying his best to ignore the two idiots.

They traveled for about 20 minutes from Shanks' headquarters when their car suddenly stopped.

"What happened?" He asks Thatch.

"Hmm... I don't know. Let me check." They all got out of the car to check what happened. Thatch opened the hood only to be welcomed by a cloud of smoke coming from the machine. "Damn."

"Don't tell me you forgot to get your car checked?" Haruta crossed her arms in front of her chest, her unamused face staring at Thatch.

"I was about to! I didn't know that it's this worse." He points at the machine.

"Well, what do we do?" Haruta asks.

"There should be a car repair shop somewhere here?" They are in the borders between their territories and Akagami's. It's not the main road as Thatch wants to avoid the traffic going back to their headquarters.

"I think there's one there." Haruta points at the shabby sign a few meters from where they are.

"Hmm, I hope they have someone who knows how to check my car." Thatch frowns while looking at the old car repair shop. His car is well taken care of by one of the best mechanics in Grandline. He's not too keen on letting anyone touch his baby.

"We don't have a choice. If they don't know, then we can just call the guys to pick us up, yoi."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go and ask them first." Thatch walked towards the shop, wincing at the old building and how small it is. Well, he can't complain now, can he? "Excuse me?"

"Yes? Anything I can help?" A tall, well-muscled man approached Thatch. They're about the same height and Thatch feels like he's a decent man judging from the tone in his voice.

"Yes. There's something wrong with my car and I wonder if there's anyone here who knows how to check on it?"

"Where's your car?"

"Over there." Thatch points to the direction where his car is temporarily parked.

"Can you bring it over here so I can check what type of engine it has?" The man asks politely.

"Sure." Thatch quickly jogged to where Marco and Haruta is. "I'll push the car there. Haruta, get on the driver's seat." He asks. Marco was talking to someone over the phone so Thatch did not bother asking him, besides, the distance is not that far.

After a few minutes of pushing the car, they stopped just right in front of the shabby car repair shop.

"Whew. Fancy car you got there."

"Well, yeah. It's my baby." Thatch proudly answered. "I am Thatch, by the way. This is Haruta."

"Oh, sorry! Forgot to introduce myself, but the name's Deuce. Do you mind if I open the hood?"

"Nah, sure, go ahead." Thatch permitted the man named Deuce. "Do you know this engine?" He doesn't want to be rude, but he wants to make sure if this man knows what kind of engine his car has. If not, they have no choice but to call their men to pick them up along with the car.

"Yeah, I know this but I'll be honest, racing cars like these are not my specialty." Deuce said after looking at the car. Marco arrived in time just to hear the man's words, nodding to Thatch that they will proceed with Plan B.

"Oh, what a bummer. I guess we have no choice but to ask the guys back at home to pick us up." Thatch said, fetching his cellphone from his pockets.

"Sports cars are my boss' specialty. Hold up and I'll ask." The three of them looked at the car mechanic who stepped inside the shop as he shouts for his boss.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Meanwhile... Ann is at her office, staring at the old computer monitor with the live feed from the security cameras she installed in the place.

She bites her lower lip nervously while looking at the familiar faces of the people outside of her shop. Of course, she knows who those people are. No sane people in the underground world will fail to recognize those faces.

After all, the three of them are infamous in the streets, especially the blond-haired man - Whitebeard's heir, nicknamed the Phoenix.

She wonders if they are there to investigate or something, but judging from what is happening, it looks like it's just a coincidence. This made Ann heaved a sigh of relief. At least they're not here for anything other than a coincidental car repair.

As much as possible, she wants to keep herself hidden from any of these people, but it seems that fate is not on her side because a few minutes after Deuce checked the car, he stepped inside the shop, calling for Ann.

"Damn it." She muttered to herself before turning off the monitor and busied herself with something else.

"Boss!"

"Deuce! What's up?"

"There's an engine you might know about. Can you check it for me? The car's upfront."

"Yeah. Sure. I'll be right there in a sec." She answers with a smile. Deuce acknowledged it before leaving.

Ann can only sigh, trying to calm herself, erasing any kind of suspicious emotions on her face, just like what she's trained to do. Acting has never been her forte, that was Sab's, and even worse, Luffia's.

Well, Luffia was always a natural when it comes to acting innocent, anyway, so Ann is the one who usually fails to hide her emotions. But this is a must, especially if she's going to face three commanders of the Whitebeard Mafia Group.

"Yeah. It's showtime."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: YES! We're progressing slowly, folks! Kidd is free, Marco is about to meet Ann, and ZoLu's encounter! HEHE.
> 
> Also, updates may not be frequent because of irl stuff. But don't worry, okay? Not gonna give up on this story


	12. Meeting

Ann stands up, sighing while her hand hovers over the doorknob. She braces herself as she finally opens it, disregarding any emotions that may be suspicious to the people outside. Pretending that she doesn't know any of them is her plan.

She walks to the exit, a little nervous when she finally found her voice to enter their conversation.

"Hi! How can I help?" She asked, as casually as she can, her eyes looked at the three people whom she considers her enemies. The first one had been a petite woman named Haruta, then her eyes landed on the tall red-haired man with a weird hairstyle. ' _Thatch_ ' she told herself, and finally, her eyes landed on a handsome blond-haired man.

Electric blue eyes meet her grey eyes. Ann already knows who this man is and shouldn't be too shocking to meet him in person, yet, she didn't expect that she will feel her heartbeat racing like this just by looking directly into his eyes.

' _Must be because of my plans._ ' She told herself as she turns her gaze to Deuce.

"Their car stopped working all of a sudden, must be something with the engine. You might want to take a look." Deuce said.

"Sure. Whose car is this?" She faked a casual question to them.

"It's mine."

"Nice ride." She smiles at Thatch. "I'll take a look if you don't mind?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks, uh, sorry forgot to introduce myself. Name's Ann."

"I am Thatch. This is Haruta and this is Marco." Ann only smiled and nodded at them before turning her attention to the car to see what is wrong with it.

While she's busy, the three Commanders of Whitebeard Mafia Group looked at each other, or precisely, they're looking at Marco who just rolled his eyes at them.

He was shocked to see the woman in this kind of building, much less work as a car mechanic. Her outfit is far different than the one she wore at the bar. She is not wearing any makeup and her clothes are simple, a tank top and faded jeans.

Marco's eyes never left her. He may not openly admit this, but he finds her presence an odd one, intriguing. There's something with her that he cannot explain.

Was it about the way her eyes sparked? Or was it because of her expressive and beautiful grey eyes? Marco is not sure, but he keeps this to himself, not selling anything to his siblings that will no doubt be used against him. They will tease him to no end, that's for sure.

"I don't have all the parts so if you want to use this car now, I'll patch it up, but you best have the parts I'll list down replaced as soon as possible." She turned to Thatch, telling him more details about the car. She seems knowledgeable in this area, which is pretty impressive.

"Sure. I can make do with that." Thatch smiles as he agreed to Ann without a doubt.

"Great. I'll go get my tools and work on this."

"I'll get it for you, Ann. One sec." Ann's hand twitches a little when she heard Deuce volunteering. There goes her momentary escape, now, she's left here with three Commanders from Whitebeard's group.

"We've seen you." Thatch broke the silence, referring to Ann. His casual and cheerful way of saying it didn't make Ann feel any better. It only made her more nervous but she didn't dare show such emotions.

"Seen me? Where?"

"In the bar and - ouch!" Haruta slapped Thatch on his back to make him stop talking.

"Sorry, that was rude of him."

"No, it's fine. I think he was talking about my part-time job at the bar." She shrugged it off, a little relieved. "You're a regular there? But I don't think I've seen you before."

"We just dropped by one time and it just so happens that you were performing. Great voice, by the way, enough to enchant a few _people_." Haruta snickers when Thatch emphasized the last word making Ann a little confused but she didn't think too much about it.

Marco is on the verge of smacking Thatch and Haruta.

"I see." Ann nodded, smiling awkwardly.

"Ah, sorry if that made you uncomfortable!" Thatch was quick to shake his hand in defense, fearing that she was offended.

"It's fine. At least you didn't come here acting like stalkers." Marco frowns a little when he heard her words.

"You have stalkers, yoi?" Ann is quite surprised to hear his baritone voice. Throughout the conversation, he had been silent, only paying attention to them.

"Well, in that kind of work, it wasn't unheard of. If they come here, I have Deuce with me. He'll beat them black and blue." _Or I can do it myself_ , she wants to add but forced herself not to.

"Or you can throw your tools at them, just like that one time." Deuce came back just in time for him to hear the conversation.

"Have you told the manager in the bar about such incident, yoi?" Marco asks.

"Nah, it's fine. It wasn't too much that it's getting out of hand." She brushed it off before taking the stuff Deuce brought back so she can start working on the car.

"But - "

"I said it's fine." That came harsher than she wants it to, deliberately subjecting herself to self-criticism in her head. It also surprised Marco when she raised her voice a little.

"That's bad. We don't want any of the bar's employees to be subjected to such treatment." Haruta explained. "Marco owns the bar, so we're just worried."

"Oh." Ann feigned ignorance to this matter, thanking Haruta for mentioning this fact which she used as a scapegoat to get herself back on track. "I didn't know that. But yeah, it's fine. No need to worry." She brushed it off then continued working on the car.

Marco didn't say anything after that, leaving her to concentrate on whatever she's doing.

Thatch took this time to sideglance at Marco, wiggling his eyebrows at him.

She worked on the car for a record time before she told Thatch what she did and advised him on what he should do afterward. The red-haired man got behind the driver's seat, started the engine to test it out.

"It's good for now. Just get the parts replaced." Ann said, her hands are now stained with grimes which she never minded.

"Sure thing!" The two of them went inside the shop so he can settle the payment for her labor. Inside, he tried to ask more questions about her. "It's rare to see someone so well-versed about cars like that, more so in a remote place like this." He started.

"I just like it, I guess."

"We will drop by in the bar one of these days. We hope we get to see you there! The last time was fun! Bay was telling us you are their star singer. I didn't think we will get to see you here, and as a car mechanic at that! Whew!"

Ann felt a little uncomfortable at how friendly this man is, but if she will become defensive, they might start to notice the awkwardness in her behavior.

"A little unexpected?"

"Yes! When we first saw you, we didn't think you are doing this kind of job. You just don't look like it. You look like you're into fashion or something." That made Ann scoff a little before changing the topic. She told Thatch about the price which he paid almost instantly, tipping her more than any of her customers ever did.

They all left, waving and thanking her and Deuce. She nodded at them before her eyes landed on Marco's at the same time his gaze landed on hers. For a moment, none of them tried to break it off. There was so much in his eyes that she can't figure out. Is he suspicious of her? This is her biggest worry.

In the end, she needs to break off her gaze when Deuce called her over to discuss the car he's working on. Ann can only follow him as she asks a few things but even when conversing with Deuce, she felt distracted, as if a force is pulling her in to look back at Marco's direction again. This time, he's already in his car which just started to leave.

"Interesting."

"W-What?" Ann asks.

"So interesting of you and him." Deuce has this wry smile on his face while his eyes are telling Ann something she cannot decipher.

"Him? Who?"

"The blond dude."

"I don't know where you're getting into this."

"Hmm, okay. Let's just say that sparks were flying, even though it is subtle." He winks at her before resuming his work, confusing Ann.

What does he mean about this?

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"I heard you've taken an interest in this woman from the bar..." As soon as he heard the context, Marco groaned, a little tired of hearing this for two days now. He expected his siblings or more like his fellow Commanders to bug him about it, but not Pops.

The tall, well-muscled man in front of him is none other than the leader of Whitebeard Mafia Group, Edward Newgate. A man feared by many, who still holds influence after all these years.

To everyone else in the streets, he's nothing but ruthless, cruel, powerful, but to their Mafia Group, he's their father, their family, their home.

"Pops..." Marco warned.

"Yes, son? I am just stating I heard about it and have been meaning to ask you about the woman that Thatch and Haruta never shut up about." His eyes are soft, teasing Marco like any father out there would. He's having so much fun teasing Marco.

"When will I stop hearing about this? I don't even know what all of you want me to do, yoi."

"Give it a go?" Whitebeard guessed, chuckling to himself when he saw his son roll his eyes. "It's been a long time, son. Why not give it a chance? You can get to know each other."

"I think she has someone else already." He answered, thinking about the man she was with back in the car repair shop. "Let's just not talk about it,yoi."

Whitebeard didn't push for more and changed the topic. This time, it was about the return of the infamous Eustass Kidd from imprisonment.

"There's no doubt they will start snooping into Kaido's territories or Apoo's." Marco commented. "That grudge cannot easily be forgiven, yoi." He said as a side comment. Everyone in the streets knew what was going on, after all, betrayals always happen.

It just so happens that Eustass Kidd was careless when it comes to the details of the _alliance_ he formed with Apoo's party.

"Giving them a hand if they will come knocking won't be a problem for us." Whitebeard is very clear on whom they should side with this affair. Kaido will never miss an opportunity to mess with Whitebeard and vice versa. A war between Emperors is not likely to happen unless a personal grudge is triggered, but it doesn't mean they cannot move to mess with the other.

An advantage is always a grasping point to any Mafia Groups out there.

"Yes, after all, we have some common grounds with him." Marco agrees. As for how Eustass Kidd will handle any information handed over to him, that's up for him to decide.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"Where is she?" Kidd's voice resonated in his members' ears, making them look at their leader. A few seconds passed by, none said anything, trying to discern who he was referring to, but they soon realized that he never talked about anyone else aside from her.

"We've tracked her movements. She never left the mainland." Wire answered.

Mainland refers to the city where the Headquarters of the World Government is. That is the most dangerous city for any Mafia Groups out there. No one will dare to mess in that city unless they want to be killed. That place is full of crouching dragons, ready to pounce on anyone they can.

Kidd didn't respond, focusing on wiping his gun using a white cloth, staining it with droplets of blood.

They just came back from ambushing one of Kaido's group. A week after he came back, they started operating again, targeting their enemies relentlessly. This will undoubtedly trigger a war against one of the Emperors, that is if they will know who killed their men.

Kidd and his group members killed a group of 10 people from Kaido's side, leaving no traces of evidence that will point out that it was them. As much as he wants to taunt Kaido, he cannot. Finding his footing in the streets after two years will not be an easy feat for him, not when so much has changed over the past two years, but it doesn't mean he will halt his revenge.

He's just getting started.

"I will go out alone tomorrow." He said, alarming Killer.

"Where are you going?"

"Where else?" The evil smirk on his face sent shivers to all of his trusted members. They cannot help but worry about the plans Kidd has in his mind.

"Kidd, that's mainland. You can't be thinking of killing her in there, are you?" Killer was warning Kidd not to be reckless. He knew too well that his hatred for Sab is immeasurable. He's afraid that Kidd will be reckless in his decisions.

"I won't give her an easy death that could compromise my return. I'll just _greet_ her."

And with that, he left all of them to ponder on what he meant.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Sab is having a bad day after successive reports of murders in the South area of Grandline, it was a group from Kaido's side.

Her mind instantly takes her to a red-haired man, no seeds of doubt are in her mind that it was he who took care of those people.

"If we file another lawsuit against Eustass for murdering them, how will the case progress? Can you send him to prison again?" She clenches the fist on her lap while looking at Apoo's eyes. He's here in the office of Celestial Law Firm for a consultation.

Ever since winning the case against Eustass Kidd 2 years ago, their group had been a constant client in this office. It annoys Sab to no end, but she must keep her professionalism and swallow the anger building in her guts.

"If there is sufficient evidence that you can provide against him. With his recent release from the prison after proving that he's innocent, the judge may not be too keen on a rashly provided evidence."

"What do you suggest?"

"Mr. Apoo, I am a lawyer. I am here to provide you the best guidance I can on cases that you are consulting us with. If you do not have any evidence, the law firm will not be accepting the terms and conditions you will provide. Also, may I ask at what grounds do you plan on accusing him of?" Sab almost lost her composure, annoyed that Apoo and Kaido are treating this law office as a mere consultation firm for their illegal activities.

This Law Office is indeed no saint. She's been here long enough to know that the lawyers have assisted Mafia Groups, even going as far as to fake pieces of evidence.

Not just them, but also the juries.

' _Corruption as its finest',_ she disdains to herself. People have lost their morales over a few millions they can earn from assisting a Mafia Group.

Well, she's no saint either, that she will not pretend to be, not when she's actively doing illegal activities herself. The only difference is that she's doing it for vengeance, not for money.

"Still as difficult as always, Attorney." He smiles at her, eyes reflecting nothing but devious thoughts, of lusts that disgusted her.

"I can say the same to you. If there is nothing else, I believed, you can go now."

"Have you ever considered working for us? The salary here could be a good one for you, but you know what they say, there's something better."

"Work for you?"

"Yes. Or more precisely, with a corporate company like Kaido's. I am sure you've heard of them. Influence, money, power, you name it. That's not what this Law Firm can provide. Your intellect is wasted here."

"I've sent several Mafia Members to prison for years now since I started working here. There's nothing in this world that can give me as much satisfaction when I win my cases. I don't think what you're offering me can compare to that." She answered.

"Such a shame, but the offer still stands. You can always knock on our doors whenever." He said, smirking at her before leaving, sounding so sure that she will change her mind.

' _You are not entirely wrong though. I will come knocking at your doors sooner or later._ ' She said to herself.

After hours of spending in her office, she decided that it is time to leave. She plans to meet Koala, her best friend, at a nearby restaurant for dinner, so she didn't take her car with her, opting to walk instead.

The streets are busy, cars are honking, drivers steadily running out of patience due to the traffic in this city, or the mainland as what everyone in the underground refers to. She stands there in front of the crosswalk, waiting for the signal so she can go to the other side.

When it turned green, she started walking along with other working individuals when she chanced upon a man walking from the opposite side. She stops in the middle of the crosswalk, people passing by her.

Sab freezes there when the man she has not seen for two years is now walking closer to where she is. The same man she loved and betrayed. The hatred in his eyes never disappeared. But when will it disappear? She knows that it will never happen, not until she's dead.

The burning hatred in his eyes made her shiver in sadness. With guilt engulfing her heart, she looked away, started walking, hoping to get past him.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. A hand instantly grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking forward. She looks up only to find the red-haired man right beside her.

The warmth of his hand is familiar yet foreign to her. It's not the same as the one before. It radiates coldness, hatred, vengeance.

"You're going to die by my hands." He leans a little to whisper it to her ear before finally letting her go.

Sab didn't have time to ponder on what happened, she just walked forward, reaching the other side just in time for the signal to go back to red.

At this time, Eustass Kidd is now on the opposite side as well, hands are on his pants pockets while looking at her.

It's been two years since they saw each other and seeing her again awakened so many emotions inside Kidd.

Seeing the frightened look in her eyes, he can't help but feel triumphant. Sab has all the reasons to be frightened because as soon as he's done dealing with Apoo, she will be his next target, this he promised himself.

As he stares into her eyes, more emotions poured into him, memories they shared. The happy memories are still fresh in his mind, but instead of making him sad, it made him angrier at her.

There's no turning back now. There's no going back at all.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Luffia finds herself eating merrily while Zoro is in front of her. She's wearing a loose t-shirt and faded jeans, something that Zoro is not used to seeing because she usually wears a tank top paired with a sleeveless cardigan, but he didn't pay attention to her clothes at all, brushing it off as something Luffia just randomly pulled out of her closet.

What he didn't know is that she chose the loose t-shirt to hide the bandages on her arm, a wound she sustained while fighting him a few nights ago.

"What have you been up to these days?" Luffia casually asks before taking another mouthful of food.

"Nothing much." Zoro shrugs, brushing off the question, refusing to provide any information.

Luffia didn't say anything but just continued to eat her fill, after all, it's Zoro's treat, again. Whenever they go out, it was usually his treat, letting her order whatever she wants, spoiling her rotten.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Did you know? Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"I heard in the bar! There's fighting! Fighting! Shishishi!" She excitedly laughs, making Zoro wary of what she meant. "They're placing money to know who's going to win! I want to watch!" Zoro's eyebrow twitches in annoyance after hearing what Luffia said. She must have heard the regulars talking about a fighting arena match.

"Where was this?"

"Hmm, I don't know, but they said somewhere near the bar?" She answered. Honestly speaking, she didn't know where exactly it was because the fight is not arranged by her group, although she can ask her members to look into it if necessary.

"Luffia, those fights are dangerous. You shouldn't be watching or involving yourself with that kind of environment."

"How dangerous for me?" She tilts her head, eyes are innocent, like children, making Zoro sigh.

"Very dangerous."

"But I want to see what that was. Can we go see it together? Just one time!" She clasped her hands together while looking at Zoro with a pleading look in her eyes that he can't seem to say no to.

"Luffia..."

"But I want to go there with you... Please..." Zoro didn't think it will become like this. He should have known that Luffia will one day encounter things that involve the underground world. This, he cannot prevent nor control.

"That place is dangerous." For someone who's seen fighting arenas, Zoro knows how dangerous that place is, especially for him who's been hunting Mafia Groups nonstop. His name is nothing but a nuisance to the Mafia members attending such an event.

Even if that is the case, it didn't prevent him from attending fighting arenas as an audience and a fighter. He may be a Mafia Hunter but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have contacts with any Mafia Groups. He is just not affiliated with them but there are groups that he refuses to hunt. For example, Kidd Eustass. He and Zoro have been acquaintances for quite some time, far off from being friends, but there's a level of respect between them.

Such irony to be a Mafia Hunter and be acquaintances with them at the same time, but Zoro finds it in himself to care less.

"But I want to see it with you!" Luffia reasons out, insisting on what she wants. In reality, she's been in this kind of arena fights, even organized a few of them. It's just that she wants to see an arena fight _with_ Zoro.

"Fine! Fine! But I will get to decide where and when!"

"Yay!" Luffia almost jumped out of her seat to hug Zoro but she finds her right arm throbbing in pain when she raised her arms. ' _Damnit_ ' she shouted in her mind while slowly lowering her raised arm. "Hehe." A faint chuckle came from her, hiding the pain she felt because of her stupidity.

Zoro was only confused for a few moments before disregarding her behavior.

After eating, the two of them strolled in the area, with Luffia buying a few necessities she needs. As soon as she's done, Zoro took her back to her apartment. He was about to leave when he heard footsteps from the nearby alley in her apartment, his head snaps, and his eyes almost went wide when he recognized who that was.

He gets off his motorbike to approach the man standing beside Luffia's apartment building, a frown evident on his face.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, suspicious of the man.

"You know damn well that you cannot tell anyone about the mission." Kaku said.

"When have I ever told anyone about the mission?"

"Good. I am just reminding you in case your tongue slips and you tell anyone. Be careful because anyone who will find out about the mission will have to be _dealt_ with." Kaku emphasized the last few words in his sentence, sending a warning to Zoro. "You may be leading this hunt, but do not forget that we are part of the same team and part of the organization employing you."

This made Zoro sigh. The warning is as clear as the day.

"I know." He answers. "Do not worry, I'm always careful in not involving _anyone_ in my affairs."

"Good to hear - argh!" He didn't finish his sentence because Zoro's hand grabbed his throat before slamming him on the wall with a loud thud. Kaku tried to peel Zoro's hand off his throat but he can't. The sheer amount of strength is unbelievable even to someone like Kaku who's been trained for years.

"But! If I find any of you threatening Luffia or using her against me - " he drags his words as he applied more force to prove his point. "- you will regret it. No one touches her. You understand?"

Kaku had a hard time looking Zoro in the eyes, but when he did, he can finally see the demon in him, the same demon feared by many in the streets. He reluctantly nods.

"Hmph!" Zoro threw him on the ground, finally letting him go. He didn't say a single word to Kaku but his mind is in turmoil, a little worried about what these people may do to Luffia.

A slight regret finally overtakes his emotions, thinking that he may have been rash in accepting this deal with the World Government. They've been trying to recruit him for the last couple of years and some may have let him off, but others will try to use any advantage possible to reel him into doing their bidding.

He will not be a puppet and if they will try any underhanded methods to get to him, he will not hesitate to become their enemy.

Now, what he needs is to finish this deal as soon as possible. All he needs to do now is to kill Strawhat.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yes, finally finished the chapter. 
> 
> Also, I will equally provide more drama to the three of them, or at least I will try. So far, I think Ann and Marco will be melodramatic too. Zoro and Luffia, maybe not so much. I will have to think of something to make their story more interesting because this has always been a struggle for me, writing their story, but will add more spice! 
> 
> Anyway, hope you all will enjoy the upcoming holidays!


	13. Distraction

_Drip. Drop._ It's the sound of the droplets of water that echoes in this secluded alley. It's dark, devoid of any humans save for a certain someone standing beside the trashcan whose face is hidden behind a blue mask and a hood.

This person is none other than Sab, or more precisely, it's Blue.

She looks up to glance at the World Government branch in the area, in Kaido's territory. Given this is the outskirts of the territory and quite far away from Kaido's headquarters, it's still quite bold of the World Government to put a branch in one of the most brutal cities in Grandline. Sab heard a lot of stories from this city, some were exaggerated but she knows that almost all of them are true.

Murder is frequent, often they will find news of a dead body found in the area but, no one will tell the police officers who did it, too scared to get themselves into a graveyard should they present as crime witnesses.

The murder cases will never get justified, dismissed by the World Government branch in this city due to the lack of proper evidence and no witnesses to tell them who the culprits are. Sab handled a few of the cases in this city before, but all of them are pointless, nothing she can do.

There's nothing she can do as a lawyer, as Atty. Sab Regor, but as Blue, there are things she certainly can do.

Kaido's known for his cruelty and greed. The information about his battles and squabbles with Roger's group before is widely-known. Most squabbles will end up with several deaths from each side.

Who knows how many mafia members died at that time.

But, in the conflicts against Roger's group, Kaido's group had never tasted a victory, always finding themselves falling short, receding a territory because of a loss.

The odd thing about Roger's group is that they never took any territories as their own, roaming Grandline freely.

The wildest Mafia Group in history - as described by everyone.

With the conflict between the World Government and Roger's group, there's no doubt that most of his rivals will jump the gun to attack him from all sides, Kaido included.

Sab took the task to initiate their attacks against Kaido. Coincidentally, the Revolutionary Army sent her an order to disrupt Kaido and the World Government's deals.

Should the World Government gain access to a few of the resources that the Kaido's group can offer, it may be detrimental for the Revolutionary Army. Last time, one of their hideouts had been discovered by Kaido's group and a later time was raided by the World Government. Luckily, the Revolutionary army abandoned the hideout before the World Government arrived. They cleaned the warehouse, free of any evidence that the World Government will use to track their members down.

And the best way to do that is to burn the building. Sab can imagine the deep regret the World Government must have felt when they arrived at the supposed hideout of their biggest enemy only to be welcomed by the scorching building with nothing to salvage.

And here she is, in the middle of the enemy's territory to kill a few of Kaido's men.

Killing is not something she's fond of doing, but if it will achieve everything they wanted, she will do it without hesitation.

Her hand tentatively reaches for the gun strapped on her side, readying herself for another bloody kill she will do.

With precise movements, she navigated the area with ease until she finds herself in a neutral part of the city. Between dealings from the World Government Officials and the Mafia Group Officials, this unspoken rule is always implemented, that the two parties will meet in neutral territory.

It makes things easier for Sab because she can interrupt whatever deal they had and, at the same time, decrease Kaido's essential members. Getting revenge by killing the members may sound so brutal, but the three of them vowed to do it no matter what.

The members that they killed from the enemy mafia groups are the upper echelons. They do not want to massacre the people who do not have anything to do with the events involving their father years ago.

Sab stopped dead on her tracks to hide when she heard noises a few meters from where she is, which confirms that she must have arrived at the location where Kaido's group is about to meet with the World Government Officials. Sticking her head to sneak, her eyes went wide-eyed when she discovered Kurozumi Orochi standing in front of two of Kaido's men.

Sab doesn't know their names, but from what they were called, they are part of the sub-group called Tobiroppo. That was a funny name, or at least that's what Luffia thinks when she heard Sab mentioned it once. It didn't take a minute before the twins found their youngest sister laughing on the floor.

"How much do we get this time?" Orochi asked, smiling so horrendously that Sab can't help wincing. Behind such a smile is nothing but disgusting thoughts, a person whose moral conscience is buried deep down the abyss of nothingness, nothing is redeeming about this man at all. Why he is still an official of the World Government leaves room for more questions about the organization's choice of men.

"60/40. We get 60." A blond woman named Maria answered. This is the only information Sab has. Finding information about Kaido's upper echelons is like finding a missing needle on the floor. It's scarce, almost nothing, no doubt their group had been careful about their whereabouts, going as far as destroying traces of their past.

"Tsk. Why do we get - "

"Careful now. You don't want to anger the boss by demanding more than what we can provide. Be thankful that we're giving you 40 instead of 30." A man with pale-pink hair spoke, looking down on Orochi threateningly.

"Getting the slaves into the warehouse is a hard thing to do. You can do better than 40. Make it 50!"

Patience is a virtue, Sab knows this. Calmness is needed in all situations, but this can be an exemption. Sab is about to lose her composure after hearing the word _slaves_.

Slavery has always been part of other mafia groups' businesses, earning millions from selling a slave to rich families, nobles, elites as what they're called. For the past few years since working as one of the upper echelons of the Revolutionary Army, Sab encountered several situations where the World Government is involved in such transactions. It's hard to see young people chained, bruised, abused and most of them are teenagers.

While the two sides are busy arguing, Sab navigated, careful to not make a noise to alert them about her presence. With the manpower each side has, she's afraid that taking them out is difficult, almost impossible. She cannot risk getting caught or injured now.

With careful movements, she finds herself in front of the warehouse where the slaves could be. There's a window nearby. Utilizing the barrel nearby, she managed to look past the window. The inside of this raggedy building is dark, save for the streetlights passing through the glass window. No poor lighting can prevent her from discerning the situation.

Dozens of crying people, caged, chained, and bruised are inside the building. Saving them now is an utmost priority for her even if this is not her mission.

Her mission is to investigate, disrupt, and kill a member of Kaido's group, only if the situation allows it, not save the slaves that can get her killed if they catch her.

Well, if they catch her.

With determination, she got off the barrel and started walking to the entrance to kill the guard. She's thankful that the transaction between Orochi and Kaido's men are on the other side. They may be preventing any information leak should one of the slaves be a spy. A well-thought decision but something she can take advantage of.

A few meters before she arrives at the entrance of the warehouse, she heard footsteps from behind. Her heart quickens, a hand automatically reaches for her gun and, with a quick movement, pointed it to whoever was behind her.

Her breath hitches upon recognizing the three men standing in front, especially the tall red-haired man.

"Look who we have here." His voice resonates in her ears, such a familiar accent she never heard for a long time. This is how he usually is, his voice is mocking, sounding so arrogant that makes you want to punch the living daylights out of him.

And one of the reasons she fell in love with him.

Sab didn't lower the gun, still pointing it at her ex-lover. A part of her is quite afraid that he will find out her identity.

"Blue from the Revolutionary Army. I didn't expect to see a big-shot here, all alone." He's now a few meters away from Sab, his voice is low that only those nearby can hear.

"Neither do I." she answers. For once, she's thankful for wearing a voice-changer mask, saving her from a catastrophe should Eustass Kidd finds out that Blue is none other than Sab.

"You can lower your gun. We're not after you."

Kidd is with Killer and Wire, a step behind him. He's still using that same old fur coat of his that safely covers the numerous guns he has strapped on his body. Sab can bet her money that it will be the same collection.

"We're here for the heads of those bastards. Lower it unless you want us to treat you an enemy." It's a threat to Blue, but since when did Kidd stopped being threatening to those who he doesn't trust? Never.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Three consecutive gunshots reverberated, startling Sab. The shouts soon followed.

"It's showtime." Kidd and his three men walked past Blue to join the fray.

"There are slaves in this warehouse." This made Kidd stopped.

"So?"

"You're endangering them. They could have installed - "

"Lives of others do not matter to me. I did not come here for them. I came here to kill Kaido's men."

Sab shouldn't be surprised. This is how Kidd is, nothing has changed, not after all these years.

After saying that, he takes out his gun and proceeds to join the fray. More gunshots echoed in the area, no doubt alerting anyone in the vicinity. The method he used is crude, tactless, reckless.

Standing there will earn her nothing, so she takes advantage of the situation. Turning right, she's greeted by two guards standing in front of the entrance, guns ready.

They pointed it in Sab's direction but before they can pull the trigger, she is quick to dodge it by getting down on the floor, pointing the gun at them.

_Bang! Bang!_

One shot for each guard.

The floor is stained with their blood as their body is sprawled on the floor, eyes are wide-open and breathless - dead. Every time she kills, Sab knows there's a part of her that died alongside the people she killed. She does not sympathize with her enemies, but rather with the family they left behind.

She used to be one of them, just a family of a Mafia Member. Losing someone you loved will never be easy. She knows how it feels to lose someone, of how painful it is, traumatizing. Yet here she is, killing a mafia member that might have a family waiting for him at home.

A soft smile formed on her lips as she steps past the dead bodies. There's no time to feel remorseful in this situation. They are enemies, after all.

Panicked shouts can still be heard, even when Sab is inside the warehouse. She turned on the lights of the building, her heart almost crumbled at what she saw.

Drops of blood everywhere, some of the slaves are wounded. An open wound like this is at risk of being infected but none of the bastards even cared. They are treated like livestock, like animals.

All of them are staring at Sab with emotions of fear, helplessness, resignation to their fate.

"The goods! We have to get the goods!" One person shouted from outside and this prompted Sab to turn around and shot Orochi's men with no qualms.

Yet another two to add to the list of people she killed.

Brushing off the thoughts, she approached a teenager nearby. The boy scrambled away, afraid of her.

"Don't be afraid." She said. Her eyes wander to the chains attached to their necks before she curses out loud. It's the kind that is controlled by a remote system. One press of the button is all it will take before some kind of drug will be injected into their necks, poisoning them to death.

"Damn bastards." Clenching her fist, she started walking out of the building to find anyone from Orochi or Kaido's side, whoever is holding the key to free the slaves.

It's chaotic. She sees a few of Kaido's men shooting at Kidd and the others. From the earlier conversation she heard, she deduces that Orochi should be holding the key to the chains.

Ignoring them, she searches for Orochi and his men.

Kidd and his group never cared about Orochi because they are just allies of Kaido, nothing but corrupt World Government official. It is not smooth-sailing for Sab who has to fend herself off from the enemies' attempt to kill her. Anyone not in the group will be treated as an enemy, and as soon as they recognized the blue coat she's wearing, they knew she's not here as their friend.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Sab is quick to catch the hurried and panicked voice of a man not too far from where she is. When she turned to where the voices are coming from, she's not surprised to see Orochi and three of his men getting into the car.

 _'Not on my watch'_ she told herself. Without hesitation, she pulled her gun and shot in Orochi's direction, muttering curses when it only hit one of the men, not Orochi himself.

"Quick! Get him out and replace him!" Orochi was referring to the now-dead driver of the car.

Sab runs while loading more bullets for her gun, stopping to roll on the floor, avoiding the gunshots aimed at her. She takes cover at a barrel, bracing herself to fire back.

That is her plan. Let it be known that Sab aka Blue, is always meticulous when it comes to her goals and plans. She can be reckless at times, but she knows what she came here for - to save the slaves and disrupt the deal.

The disruption that Kidd and his men did earlier made things easier for Sab. The lack of manpower proves to be difficult even for her. Now, she must save the children and the only way to do it is to get the keys from Orochi.

"Shit." She mutters while still taking cover behind a barrel while looking at Eustass Kidd who is busy beating the hell out of Kaido's men. He's winning, yes, but he might die at this point because one of Kaido's injured men took his gun out and points it in Kidd's direction. The man is injured, bloodied, but his loyalty to Kaido must have run deep in his soul for him to use every ounce of energy he had left to take out Kidd Eustass.

Sab could have ignored this, but she can't. Not when there's another enemy behind Kidd. Two enemies are now focusing on him. Torn between chasing an enemy and saving a lover, Sab closes her eyes.

"Kidd, watch out!" Killer shouted as a warning. And this is when Sab pulled the trigger to kill the enemies targeting Kidd.

A minute of distraction, but this distraction led to something crucial. Orochi escaped along with the keys to the chains. She immediately woke up from her musings and realized a mistake she did. Chasing after Orochi will do her no good. If she gets the keys, by the time she returns, this place will be swarmed with enemies, either World Government officers or Kaido's men.

She's left there, watching Orochi's car moving at a fast speed.

The red-haired man looked in Blue's direction, a little confused why this person helped but didn't put much thought about it. The enemy of your enemy is your friend. For now, the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command is an ally.

"Get everything worth the money!" Kidd shouted at his men. Maria, one of the Tobiroppos is injured, groaning on the floor as Killer manhandles her, cuffing her wrists. She will be taken to their hideout where she will be tortured until she spills all information they need. Her companion, a fellow Tobiroppo member is now dead.

They are quite lucky that there are no more than 12 men in Kaido's group, Had there been more than that, Kidd and his group may find themselves in a difficult situation.

The confidence they have in this transaction is high since they are dealing with their allies in the World Government Office branch, little did they know that Kidd and his men have been there for hours to ambush them.

He knows that this is nothing, that this is not enough to make Kaido or Apoo fall on their knees, but Kidd is getting a sense of satisfaction in knowing that he delivered damage not easily repairable.

And more to come on their way. He's nowhere near done serving his revenge. It will be sweeter than they expected, and bloody - this he promises.

The fray and chaos earlier must have alerted enemies nearby. Leaving the vicinity is their utmost priority now that their mission has been accomplished.

"Time to move out. Bring this bitch. Make sure she stays alive." Kidd commands, and while his men are preparing to get out before more enemies join in, the red-haired man's eyes darted to Blue.

"We need to go now." Killer reminded Kidd.

"A minute. Let's see what that man will do." He nods to Blue's side, waiting for him to make a move.

"There's nothing but slaves inside. They're chained."

"Huh. Chained, huh?"

"Yes."

"The keys?" he asks.

"I am not sure, but this must be the keys." Killer hands over a set of keys along with a remote control to Kidd who smiles deviously. An idea passing by his head when he took it from Killer's hand.

Without much thought, he follows Blue inside the warehouse.

"Hey." He calls out. The moment his voice resonates, the children in the warehouse flinched, scurrying off as far away as possible. Their situation did not surprise Kidd at all. He pities them, but that's the extent of what he can feel towards strangers. "You want to save them, right?"

"Orochi is gone. He has the - " Blue stops, eyes darted to the raised set of keys in Kidd's hand.

"Seems you're in luck."

"Will you give me that key? You will not benefit from keeping that." Blue sounds convincing and Kidd would have said yes because it is true, he will not benefit from keeping the useless keys on him.

"Yes. You're right. But you want this, right?"

Seeing her ex-lover this close is overwhelming Sab with so many emotions. After two years since the imprisonment, she never had a chance to hold a conversation with him like this, a conversation without his threats or his desires to kill her.

"What do you want?" She knows him from the back of her mind. He always wants something in return. Always.

"It's a rare opportunity to see Blue of the Revolutionary Army. A mysterious being, if I may say so." he drags his sentence, thinking of the right words to say, eyes still curious as to what this person looks like beneath the hood and the mask. "Let's trade. The keys in exchange for information."

"Information about what?"

"I still do not know, but how about we form a deal? I ask you for information, you will get information about the World Government as well along with these keys." To emphasize his point, he wiggles the keys in front of Blue, a temptation.

"Bold of you to assume that I lack information." Sab plays it casually, wanting to keep her identity a secret as much as possible.

"Fine. I assumed that you won't be needing these anymore? I can throw it away - "

"Wait!" Sab clenches her teeth when she said that. This attitude of his never failed to get to her nerves even before. "Fine. A deal. An exchange."

"Good. Then we will leave you to do what you want. Let's meet one of these days for the payment of these keys." Kidd said as he threw the keys to Blue. "Don't ever think of escaping from this deal. Otherwise, we will track you down. We noted the bike you were using. Gaining a Mafia Group as an enemy is not worth all the trouble."

"I know. You do not have to tell me." Blue answers. It's simple, straight to the point, but it held a deeper meaning that Kidd may never have a chance to know.

"Contact us in two days. I would assume you have that kind of information since you said you were not lacking any." That was all he said before walking away.

Watching his retreating form, Sab cannot help but sigh in frustration. Things may get more complicated with this deal.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"Ooohhh~~~ Nice! Nice!" Luffia's expressions sounded like a child's. It may seem cute, however, it is inappropriate in this kind of environment. People are eyeing her from head to toe with furrowed eyebrows, disbelief is written in their eyes because no sane person will express their _appreciation_ in a childlike manner in a battle arena.

Zoro can only facepalm, slightly regretting that he brought Luffia in this kind of place. He'd been thinking about delaying it but Luffia's insistence won coupled with a lot of begging and that infamous puppy-dog eyes that she knows Zoro won't say no to.

Here they are, in one of Akagami's battle arena. Zoro chose this because he knows that out of the Emperors or Mafia Leaders out there, Akagami's battle arena is less brutal. It's still illegal but the mad had been adamant in keeping the rules strictly followed.

No deaths in the arena. And certainly no murders or assassinations.

Technically speaking, Zoro shouldn't be in this kind of place, it's full of Mafia members, most of them his enemies. Who knows when someone will attack him to avenge a friend or a fellow member?

The only reason it's okay for him to be here is that he had a few deals with the Akagami group before. It may be outstretched to say they are friends, but there's a mutual trust that had been established. Add to that, Akagami is never lenient when it comes to assassination attempts inside his arena.

"Luffia, stop pointing at people, it's rude." _And dangerous._

"Eeeh? Okay. But it looks so cool!"

"I know. Come on, let's take a seat over there." Zoro points at the bench in front of the arena where there are fewer people. The eyes that are following them are making him aware of how this is a big mistake. He's deliberately putting Luffia at risk.

Several people they passed by are looking so incredulous while staring at Luffia. The only thing that kept them from staring for _too long_ is the fact that Zoro is glaring daggers at them, his arm is on Luffia's back. It's an act of protection against anyone who may try to do something with her. They know not to mess with the Mafia Hunter.

They walked towards the empty seats and when they are a few meters away, Zoro almost groaned because he spotted a few of the big shots present in the arena.

Who could have thought that Whitebeard's second-in-command is here along with Akagami? Zoro planned to just sit at the far corner of the arena to avoid any unnecessary attention. He's not afraid to face these people when he's alone, he just doesn't want Luffia to make a contact with any of them.

Everything has gone awry in Zoro's taste. Everything he had planned didn't go as well as he pictured it in his mind. Why did he let himself get scammed by Luffia?

Six men are walking in their direction, all of them immediately noticed Zoro and his companion but none of them ever said anything. The green-haired man was about to ignore them and just drag Luffia to the seat when she just went and said: "Hi!" to them.

The greeting is so cheerful, so casual, so friendly that it's nauseating Zoro. Who in their right mind will greet Mafia members as Luffia does?

Her greeting shocked the six men that consisted of Marco Newgate, Thatch, and Izou from Whitebeard's Group as well as Akagami Shanks, Benn, and Yasopp.

But she's nowhere near done with the greeting.

"Oohh~ His hair looks like a pineapple!" She shouted while pointing her fingers at Marco. Zoro quickly covers her mouth before she said anything more offending.

"Luffia." His voice is firm, reprimanding her.

"Hmmp. Hmmpp..." Whatever she wants to say, Zoro knows that it's just pure nonsense debates.

"Sorry about that." He said to Marco who had been shocked at what he just heard. Zoro didn't wait too long for Marco to respond before he drags Luffia away from them.

Thank goodness that the man had been forgiving with that insult. Otherwise, Luffia would have found herself in deep shit, and Zoro too, for bringing this disastrous woman with him.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

In a closed room where only three men are inside, Akagami Shanks is laughing his ass off because of the earlier encounter.

"Boss, you gotta stop laughing like an idiot." Yasopp reminds the red-haired Mafia leader. Even if it's just the three of them, they are still visible from the people outside. This is a VIP viewing area after all.

"You gotta admit that was funny." He reasoned out.

"It is. Although I never thought that she will be here with that man, nonetheless." Benn puffed out a cloud of smoke from his mouth, a little amused but in deep thoughts as well.

"She got him wrapped on her fingers, doesn't she?"

"That she does." Benn and Yasopp agreed with Shanks' words, resigned because one of the most infamous Mafia Leaders in Grandline is on a date with the famous Mafia Hunter, in a battle arena.

What a sight indeed.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Finally managed to write a chapter for this before the year ends. I've been enjoying my writing break and the holidays. Hope you are staying safe and enjoying your holidays too! 


	14. Opportunity

' _This is a bad idea after all,_ ' Zoro keeps shouting in his mind. The shouts and cheers of people in the arena echo in their ears as soon as the commentator announces the start of the first battle of the night. Luffia shouts alongside the others, so loud that it made Zoro wince.

"WHOOO! Fight!" She shouts, clapping her hands, smiling from ear to ear.

The excitement is getting to her, she fits in almost instantly, looking so natural in this kind of chaotic environment. Maybe because this is her first time here that she's excited.

Still, Zoro can't help but want to hide her from the prying eyes of men. It's the overprotectiveness in him that is making him irritated every time curious eyes landed on her. Why did he agree to this again?

Many of the people here are part of a Mafia Group. Some may have grudges against Zoro, bidding their time to get revenge against the Mafia Hunter. By being with Luffia, he's inviting danger to her doors.

"Luffia, maybe we should - "

"Ssh! Quiet, Zoro. It's about to start!" She points at the arena, clapping her hands. True to her words, the battle is about to start. Zoro does not have a choice but to sigh and direct his eyes on the arena, hoping for the first battle to end right this instant so she can drag her off.

Rules in a battle arena vary depending on the host. Akagami does not allow weapons such as knives, swords, or anything that can instantly kill a fighter. He prefers hand on hand combat. No killing is allowed, but you can maim your opponents into a state of invalidity.

People bid for the winner. The host - in this case, Akagami - will send players from his team to fight the challengers. Rules are simple enough. People want to see a thrilling fight, it makes their blood boil with excitement and the prospect of earning money is hard to pass by.

The fight starts, fists are swinging, every time the main contender hits the challenger, the cheers of the crowd grow louder, so as Luffia. Some fighters fight to stay alive, some want money, some desire glory, and some want to thrill they get from fighting. Zoro has been in these fighting arenas a few times, loving the excitement creeping in his veins every time he wins especially against strong opponents.

As the fight drags longer, the more the fighters sustain wounds and injuries, their faces bloody from the beating they just took. Zoro steals a glance at her, wondering if she's alright after seeing blood flowing from the fighters' faces. He's surprised that she is not flinching from the blood splattered on the arena's white floor, staining it red.

Her eyes look as innocent as before. Nothing changed.

Zoro frowns for a while, puzzled at this reaction. He is not expecting her to act scared, he knows she won't be easily scared by just the amount of blood, but at least he's expecting any kind of reaction aside from this. As if everything she's seeing is normal.

"Did you bet?"

"What?"

"Did you bet in the fight?" she asks.

"No." He swallows the saliva forming in his throat, eyebrows still furrowed. "How did you know that you can bet on a fight?" His voice is low, the tone is a little suspicious.

Luffia blinks for a few moments before turning her head to the side, meeting Zoro's scrutinizing eyes.

Green eyes meet dark ones, under the dimly-lit battle arena, all shouts are forgotten in favor of drinking in the familiar each other's gazes. Luffia almost lost all her reason, swallowed by the depth of Zoro's green eyes.

A smile graced her lips as she answers "I saw people taking out their money."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah! Lots of it!"

"Hmm." Zoro hums, turning his attention back to the fight. Luffia did the same. There's a silence that passed by, both immersed in their thoughts.

Zoro feels a little stupid for asking such an obvious question. Of course, she would have seen that people are taking out their money to bet. Why did he have to ask that question again?

Luffia, on the other hand, internally sighs in relief. Lying has never been her forte, her sisters often tell her she's the worst liar in the history of Grandline. She didn't lie to Zoro, never. She just concealed a little bit of information. She indeed saw people taking out their money, but not in this arena. It was in a different battle arena. Her words are true yet incomplete.

It's still not considered lying, isn't it?

The fight continues. It's the third round, the victor is evident.

"The challenger is losing." Luffia told Zoro.

"It just means he's not strong enough." The green-haired man answered.

"You know how to fight. Have you been in a battle like that?"

Zoro swears that he's never heard his heart beat so loud before like it did now. The expectant look in Luffia's eyes is nerve-wracking, almost bewitching Zoro to do her bidding. Or maybe he's just too damn of a wimp when it comes to her. Yes, that must be it.

"Yes."

"Did you win? Did you?" It's amazing how the emotions in her eyes are constantly changing according to her mood. From an expectant look to an excited one. Years of knowing her are not enough to decrease the amazement Zoro feels when he sees those dark eyes of his spark. His most favorite expression is when she's laughing.

The laughter that he vows to protect no matter what the cost.

"What do you think?"

"Shishishi! Of course, you won! You're Zoro after all." Zoro huffs in satisfaction from her answer. It's this smile that he badly wants to stay no matter what.

Many may think it's excessive of him, but he doesn't care. For him, she's his lifeline, his strength. Seeing her smile is enough to uplift his mood.

_'You lost?'_

_'Shut up. Get lost, brat!'_

_'You're just two years older than me! Don't call me a brat or I will call you an old man! Shishishi!'_

_They say a teenager is filled with unreleased anger and sensitivity. Zoro's not an exemption. He's about to lash out at the woman who's been pestering him since day one but he stops as soon as he saw her eyes, her smile._

_'It's okay that you lost a fight against those thugs today. You're going to win tomorrow, so it's fine! Don't mind! Shishishi!'_

_He's baffled at the encouraging words coming from her. Surveying her from head to toe, she's skinny, doesn't look like she's a fighter at all, but she approaches Zoro without qualms despite the rumors surrounding him._

_Surprisingly, her words calmed his nerves._

_'You're gutsy to tell me that.' he said_

_'But it is the truth! I know you will win against them in the future. Giving up is never an option for you, isn't it? Because you're Roronoa Zoro.'_

The green-haired man shakes his head upon remembering a certain memory from the past.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! That guy won! Amazing!"

"Time to go now." He stands up, ready to leave.

"Eeeh?!" Her reaction made Zoro roll his eyes.

"The fight is over. Let's go now. It's getting late anyway."

"But there are more fights after this one!" She reasons out, pointing in the direction where the next fighters are getting ready to enter the arena.

"I promised I will bring you here but that does not include watching ALL fights." Zoro insists, grabbing her arm to drag her to the exit.

"Zoro, stingy! Stingy!" Even if Zoro's back is on her, he can imagine what expression she has right now, pouting, no doubt sticking her tongue at him. Avoiding eye contact is the best in this situation, he can't falter his decision.

It's getting late and it would be best that they leave now because more people are walking inside the arena, people that Zoro thinks are bad news. He has a bad feeling that there might be scuffles once the fights are over.

A few steps before the exit, Zoro catches a glimpse of a familiar mark not too far away. Mark of Straw Hat on someone's coat. The man is as tall as he is, wearing a hat and a mask to hide his face. There's no need to remove the mask for Zoro knows who he is.

Prince, one of the members of Straw Hats. For a second, Zoro is tempted to go after him but remembering where they are and who he's with, he hesitates. He cannot let Luffia get involved in this business.

Luffia, on the other hand, looks at the man standing near the exit. She knows him, had been friends with this person for years now. A small smile forms on her face directed at the man before Zoro dragged her to the exit.

They walk in silence towards the parking lot where Zoro notices a familiar car beside his motorcycle. Two figures are standing there, casually discussing something that Zoro might have an idea about.

"Roronoa Zoro. I didn't think you will be frequenting this place." A tall well-muscled man greets, huffing as he releases clouds of smoke from his mouth, painting the air above them white. It slowly fades, but the smell lingers in their noses.

"Bleh! Smells bad!" Luffia commented, scrunching her nose from the smell of the smoke.

"I didn't think you will be here as well given the place we are at, Smoker." A World Government Officer hanging around the neighborhood of an Emperor's territory is too dangerous, but here's one of the infamous officers out there, willing to risk it to look out for any kind of disruption in the place that he can use as evidence to capture Mafia members.

"Eeeh?! His name is Smokey?" Luffia's rude attitude does not escape the man's ears. His eyes darted to the woman standing next to Zoro.

"It's Smoker." It's obvious he's trying not to lose his composure in front of Luffia who's looking at him with her round eyes.

"Smokey~"

"It's Smoker!"

"Nope. Smokey. Shishishi!"

Zoro snorts, hiding his laughter that's about to come out any minute. No one can argue with Luffia and win at all. He's about to bid goodbye when his eyes landed on the familiar woman standing in front of him. Her eyes are curiously looking at Zoro then at Luffia.

For some reason, Zoro feels a little awkward. Leaving now would be nice. He'd rather not want his fuck buddy and best friend to interact at all.

"Oh, hi! I'm Luffia!" She greets, stepping in front of Zoro to introduce herself. "Are you friends with Zoro too, like Smokey?"

"Oi, we're not friends!" Smoker's indignant response echoes from the side, ignored as if Luffia did not hear it at all.

"Ah, you can say that. I'm Tashigi."

"Nice to meet you! You're nice compared to Smokey!"

"And I told you not to call me that, you brat!" Again, ignored.

"Yes, nice to meet you as well, Luffia." Luffia smiles at her, but Tashigi feels as if there's something more to her smile than she lets on. "Are you going to watch the battle too? It's great!"

"No. We won't." A simple answer.

"Aww! We watched earlier, then Zoro wants to leave. Stingy!"

"Oi, brat. It's dangerous inside. Unless..." Smoker drags his sentence as he gives Luffia a quick lookover, discerning if she's a mafia member or not.

"She's not." Zoro immediately answers. "Come on, we're leaving now. Get your helmet." He told Luffia, slightly pushing her towards the motorcycle. He nods to Smoker and Tashigi before walking away to leave.

"So, that's Luffia, huh?" Tashigi whispers that made Zoro stop for a moment. Instead of answering, he just continues to walk away, mounting his bike with Luffia, and left.

Luffia doesn't know about his arrangement with Tashigi and he'd like to keep it that way. He's not blind for him not to see Tashigi's feelings. He gave her a straightforward answer that dating and committing to someone never crossed his mind.

Maybe he did, but with a different woman, that is.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

"What were you thinking?" Koala's unamused voice echoes in Sab's living room. Her hands are on her hips as she stands in front of the blonde-haired woman, expecting an answer.

"I saved their lives, okay?"

"You did, but you inevitably let Orochi go. What did you do there? I thought you want to disrupt their transaction. You could have done that by being subtle like a ninja, just like you always do - steal the keys, call for backup or call the officers from the nearby branch. What happened?"

Sab sighs. She wants to come up with a satisfying answer to justify her actions. Had she not been distracted, she would have pinned Orochi and captured him.

"There's another group that wanted to kill Kaido's men and interrupt his slavery business."

"Who?" Her close friend and a colleague from Revolutionary Army asked.

"Kidd." A few minutes of silence went by before Koala can finally speak.

"Huh, that explains it. Did he discover your identity?"

"No. He didn't. His group started shooting at Kaido's men, it alarmed Ororchi to run away and he did." _Because I chose to assist him_.

"And the slaves?"

"I freed them but World Government Officials and some of Kaido's men arrived on the scene before I can call for backup to transport them to safety." While the mission is not a total failure, Sab thinks that she could have done better than this.

"Well, nothing you can do about that. I'm going to find out who covered the news about that incident." Koala prepares to leave, grabbing her bag.

"If the officials who arrived last night are accomplices, I doubt they will report it to the public. They will come up with a story to cover their blunder."

"But at least we found out about Orochi's dealings. It should be easy enough to get more evidence against that bastard."

"I guess," Sab answers, nodding at her friend who is about to leave.

"You know," Koala starts. "His presence affects you till now, huh?"

Sab doesn't need to ask who she's referring to. It's Kidd. After all, Koala knows what happened between them two years ago.

"I won't let it affect our goals." Sab is not sure if that assurance is for Koala or herself.

"Alright. I'll leave it to you." Koala walks to the door but abruptly stops to look back at Sab as she says, "You're too hard on yourself, you know that right? Sometimes, you can be selfish." Then she left.

Left alone in her apartment, she looks back at what happened last night. Now, she owes him for the key he gave her. Contacting him again will be dangerous. Should he find out who Blue is, he will definitely kill her.

It's not the thought of being killed that matters to her, it's the concept of facing him again where all of her secrets might be exposed. What will he say when he finds out who she is? He might hate her even more and that's far scarier than dying.

The guilt in her heart never disappeared. Every day, for the past two years, it grows heavier in her heart that she sent the man she loves to prison. He's not a saint, he's done a lot of illegal activities as well that are punishable by law set in their country, even so, she thinks he does not deserve it.

She can still remember the look in his eyes.

Last night had been a mix of happiness and sadness in her. She's relieved to see him doing so well, but at the same time, she feels sad. She can't be with him anymore, not after her choice.

Sighing, she tries to shake off the ideas in her head. Her mission against Kaido is still far from over. To get to her goal, she must do everything necessary even if it means deceiving her ex-lover again.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Ann is walking on the dimly-lit sidewalk along with a four-year-old girl who's singing happily while eating a cotton candy she bought for her.

The little girl is Deuce's child. He and his wife are out on a rare coffee date and Ann presented to look after their child for two hours since she doesn't have anything to do that afternoon.

Now, it's half past 6 PM and they're walking towards the bus station so Ann can drop Alice at their house. It's fun to spend a relaxing day like this, away from the stress and the chaotic life she has.

Sometimes, she looks back to when they were children, carefree, doing nothing but get into their mother's nerves when they play too much that led to a few accidents. Sometimes, they hide their scratches, afraid that their mother will scold them again. She found out anyway. Luffia can't keep her mouth shut after all and as punishment, she will take their desserts.

Those are the days that she misses the most. If she can turn back time, she will so they can go back to their peaceful lives. Sadly, it won't happen anymore.

"Annie, will you play with me again?" The little girl asks, eyes sparkling that reminds Ann of Luffia when she was a child.

"Of course. I will drop by when I don't have work so we can play, okay?" They smile at each other but that smile soon disappears when six men are walking towards them.

Ann is alarmed because their eyes are focused on her. She doubts they're approaching her because of her identity, so they might be approaching her with ill intentions.

Their eyes can tell her that much. It's filled with lust. They must be thinking of bringing her somewhere to rape her and have fun with her body. That won't happen, she won't hesitate to crush their dicks if need be. It will be simple to just run away or defend herself, but she's with a child and they are out in an open area where anyone can see them. Revealing her fighting prowess is not allowed.

"Hey, pretty girl~" The man who looks like the leader of this small group approaches her, eyes surveying her body, and he whistles in appreciation that made Ann frown with disgust. "Why don't you come with me? I'll make sure you have a good time, eh?" He whispers to her ear and she steps back, glaring at the man.

"No, we're leaving." She takes her arm back but the man is quick to grab it again.

"Feisty! I like that in my women. Now, let's ditch this brat here. Is this your child? Ah, you're experienced. Maybe not tight enough for me, but your face is enough as compensation for that. Hahaha!" All of them are laughing as if their leader just blurted out a joke.

"Ann..." Alice is behind Ann, clutching onto her shirt.

"Yes, we're leaving now." She told the girl, grabbing her arm so they can walk away, but the men blocked their escape route, encircling Ann and Alice.

Looking around, Ann can see a few passersby looking in their direction.

"What the fuck are you looking at?!" One of the men slides his jacket to show off the gun strapped on his side. The people are wide-eyed when they noticed that the six men are carrying firearms and knives. They're intentionally showing it off so no one will help Ann and Alice.

And the mark. The mark on their shirts is enough to dissuade the people to help because that mark belongs to one of the groups under Big Mom.

How they're in this city when this belongs to Whitebeard is beyond Ann.

"Come on, pretty girl. If you don't want that brat hurt, ditch her and come with us, 'kay?" The leader of the group grabbed Ann forcefully, gripping her harm with brute force. The pain is nothing to her, it only serves to fuel her desire to kick the hell out of him. But she can't do it, not out here in the open.

"Let me go or you will regret it." She warns.

"Nah, don't want to. Hmm~ you smell so good." This man disgusts her to a point that she wants to puke. She badly wants to throw a punch but she doesn't want Alice to be involved in a bloody fight. She's too young to witness violence.

Ann is about to follow them in somewhere secluded when a blue sports car stopped next to them. It draws their attention especially when the driver steps out to face them.

It's a man in a white button-up shirt with two buttons left open and its sleeves are folded up to his elbows. Just one look at him and anyone can conclude that this man came from an elite family. He walks so confidently, standing straight. While his eyes may look bored at first glance, Ann does not doubt the brains behind it, observing the situation, calculating.

Their eyes meet, then he looks at the child hiding behind Ann before he nods.

"Oi, don't just park that car in front of us, pretty boy." One of the armed men waves his hands, signaling the tall blonde-haired man to ignore the situation.

"What do you think you're doing, yoi?" He stands in front of them, folding his arms as he looks at each of their faces as if he's memorizing what they all look like.

"Fuck this! I told you to go away. This is none of your business!"

"I make it my business, yoi. And from the looks of it, you're forcing her to go with you." His tone changes, it turns ice-cold that even Ann shivers from it.

"You fucker, why don't you just mind your fucking business? We do what we want and if you don't want to get that pretty face scarred for life, walk away now." Two men are now in front of the blonde man, waving their knives and showing off their guns.

Ann sees him scoff in disbelief and she is too because none of these men recognized who this man is. If they knew that he's Marco Newgate, they won't be standing up to him now.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, you fucker!"

"Cover the girl's eyes, yoi. Stand back a little." He said to Ann and she's quick to follow his instructions, stepping back for a few meters.

The two men in front of Marco swing their hands with knives but he's so quick to catch their forearms before giving them a kick in the stomach. They groaned in unison but Marco didn't stop. Without letting go of their arms, he kicked the right guy's arm, instantly breaking it before letting him go so he can do the same to the guy on the left.

The remaining four men are alarmed now, they took their guns and point it at Marco.

Ann gasped, and no, she's not worried about him. She just didn't want to have such a bloody murder in front of Alice. She could care less if he dies. On contrary, it will be beneficial for her - with fewer enemies to kill.

But he's not fazed at all. He smiles while looking at the guns.

"Are you sure you want to pull that trigger, yoi? Don't you remember which territory you're in?"

"Who the fuck cares? This territory will belong to Mama, anyway!" One of the lackeys speaks boastfully, spitting on the ground. The leader of the six men starts blinking while looking at Marco with wary eyes. His brain must have been functioning properly now that he took a closer look at Marco.

"Y-You... Y-You're..."

"Ah, seems you realized who I am. Good for you, yoi, but too late. You're pointing your weapons at the wrong person." He sounds so pissed now. With swift movements, he kicked the men with guns. It happened in an instant. One moment they're holding it, the second, they find themselves on the ground, groaning in pain with no weapons to save them.

"F-Forgive us. We d-didn't mean it. We didn't k-know she's your woman." The leader is kneeling, but Marco didn't stop his attack. He punched him with ease, busting his lips and nose.

"Be thankful there's a child here or else you all would have been gone, yoi. Remember where you are. And I will remember this. Prepare to be hunted." He warns them in a low tone. "I'll be taking these. Now, scram!" Marco took all of their guns before they run off to the opposite side to escape as soon as possible.

Ann thinks he will just leave, but he didn't. He just walks to the trunk of his car, opening it to put the guns he confiscated before going back to where Ann and Alice are.

"Is... Uhm, are they gone?" Ann blinks, woken up from her musings. She crouches to look at Alice.

"Yes. They're gone now. We can go home."

The girl nods then she turns her attention to Marco.

"Thank you, Mister."

Ann stands up to do the same. He saved her the effort of beating those bastards and risking her exposure.

"Thank you for helping us." She bows a little and when she looks up, she finds him staring at her. For whatever reason, his electric blue eyes make her wary, they make her shiver as if they can see through her soul. It's not because she's scared, far from it. It's different.

"Don't worry about it, yoi. Are you going home now?"

"Yes. Sorry for the trouble. We will be on our way now." She wants to escape now. Every minute that passes by in his presence is _uncomfortable_. She's nervous for some reason and she does not like it.

"It's no trouble. I'll drop you by in your house, yoi."

"No need! We will just take a bus and - "

"Are you refusing your savior, yoi?" He smiles so calmly, his eyes are no longer cold, it's warm, friendly. It's alarming that he changes so quickly in a blink of an eye. No wonder he's one of the toughest Mafia heirs out there.

"No, I mean. We don't want to trouble you - "

"Can we ride that? His car looks amazing!" Alice claps, looking at Ann with the familiar eyes that she can't say no to.

"Of course, you can. By the way, I'm Marco. And your name, yoi?"

"Alice!"

"Nice to meet you, Alice. You can ride in my car as long as Ann says yes." Ann locks eyes with Marco who's still smiling at her. She badly wants to say no, but that will be rude of her. He saved them after all.

"Can we? Can we?"

"Sure. I mean, yes, thanks for the offer." Left with no choice, she agreed.

As much as possible, she doesn't want to be in any contact with the likes of him at all. It might expose her secrets.

"Where to, yoi?" Ann gives him the address which is about 20 minutes drive from where they are. She's silent while listening to Marco answer Alice's questions. He's nice to the little girl, chuckling from time to time. Sometimes he will steal glances at Ann but she pays no mind to it. He might be just curious.

"Papa Deuce will sometimes bring me to parks. Then I will ride on his shoulders!" Alice beams at Marco while sitting in the backseat of the car.

"Papa Deuce, yoi?"

"Yes, my father! Hehe!"

Marco glances at Ann for a moment. His eyes lost a little bit of radiance in them, replaced by a tinge of disappointment in them that had Ann wondering why so.

The rest of the ride is fairly quiet till they arrived at Alice's house.

"Thanks for giving us a ride and for the help as well." Ann bows again and so as Alice.

"Yes, no problem, yoi. Just be careful next time."

"We will, thank - "

"Ah, Mama! Papa! We're here!" Alice runs off to where her parents are. Her sudden shout startles Ann for a moment so she wasn't able to finish her sentence.

"Baby girl! You're here!" Deuce picks up his daughter with ease. He and his wife approached Ann and Marco. "Thanks for watching over her. We were about to call you so we can pick her up, but I guess there's no need for that."

"No problem! I enjoy watching over her."

"Still, thank you for watching over her." Deuce's wife smiles, then her eyes darted to Marco then back to Ann. "I didn't know you had your boyfriend over."

"Huh?" She asks, baffled. Realizing her mistake, Deuce's wife covers her mouth almost instantly as soon as she saw Ann's expression.

"Oh, I thought, Uhm, sorry. Haha! I just thought, haha!"

Ann forces a burst of laughter as well, matching the awkwardness of the assumption.

"Mr. Marco saved us from those bad guys! Then he gave us a ride! His car is awesome!"

"A few thugs were harassing them on their way home, yoi." Marco quickly explains that made Alice's parents nod, understanding what thugs meant.

"Thank you for helping them," Deuce said.

"No problem. It's a small matter. Don't worry about it."

"We're about to have dinner. Would you two want to go inside and join us?"

"No, I'm good. Besides, I have to go now. Maybe next time." Ann quickly declines politely.

"I'm good as well. Next time, yoi."

"Alright, next time it is." Deuce smiles, nodding to them.

"I have to go now. So yeah - "

"I'll give you a ride. You're going home, aren't' you?" Marco is quick to hold Ann's arms, preventing her from leaving.

The touch is foreign to her and it just makes her shiver even more while looking at his electric blue eyes that seem to have regained their earlier radiance. He looks like he's in a good mood for whatever reason.

"No need. I've been disturbing you. And don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"I do, but your safety comes first, yoi."

"No, you don't have to. You have more important matters to attend to. I'll be fine." She takes her arm back, smiling awkwardly from the touch of his hand earlier.

"I insist. Those matters can wait, yoi."

"But - "

"Oh my god! Ann, just go!" Deuce, fed up from the non-stop insistence from both sides intervened, pushing Ann towards Marco. "You can't even sense it, can you?"

"Sense what?" She doesn't know what he's talking about.

"He's flirting with you, or at least trying to get closer to you, so get a clue, damn it!" Deuce sounds so done with Ann. "Sorry, she's clueless about stuff like that so I have to spell it out for her."

"Hey!" Ann pouts, offended at what Deuce just said. She looks at Marco wondering if this is a joke or not. "Are you..." she trails off, not sure if she should ask about it.

"Well, at least I was trying to make a conversation, yoi. But I guess, it's true. I'm interested in you." It's a straightforward answer that had Ann blushing.

"Now, you know. So, go ahead. We're going inside now. Take care of her. Send her home, okay? No funny business!"

"You sound like an old man." Ann retorts.

"Nah, wouldn't dream of it, yoi."

They watch the family of three as they walk to their house. Ann contemplates for a moment if she should accept the offer.

"Shall we?"

Looking at him suspiciously, Ann is still wary of him. What if he's just faking it? What if he has an idea of who she is? What if he's trying to gain her trust and stab her on her back?

"Okay, look, I know you don't trust me, yoi. That's given. I'm just going to take you to your house, and that's it." He raises his hand to ease her suspicions.

"I still don't get why you would do that."

"Because I want to flirt with you. Well, flirt is such a flimsy word that I don't want to use, yoi. Let's just say I am attracted to you and want to get to know you."

For the first time in her life, Ann received a confession from someone. Well, technically, during her years in University, she received many of these confessions but, it's the first time that the idea sinks in her mind.

Marco Newgate is attracted to her. For a second there, an idea crosses her mind. Maybe meeting Marco is an opportunity for her to successfully kill Whitebeard once and for all.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yes, finally managed to write another chapter. Let me know what you think!


	15. The Start

"Where to, yoi?" Marco casually asks as soon as he takes the driver's seat, looking at Ann with a simple smile that makes her somewhat suspicious. "You're still suspicious of me?"

She does not answer the last question, still trying to wrap her head at what she heard moments ago.

"In the shop. I live on the second floor."

"Okay." Marco nods and starts the car. After a few minutes of silence, he decides to start the conversation. "Was it awkward for you, yoi? I apologize for that."

"I just can't believe it."

"That I'm attracted to you?" Marco glances at her before directing his eyes back to the road.

"Yes?" She's not sure what to feel about the revelation. A part of her is still questioning his motives. It couldn't be because of a simple physical attraction, isn't it? Ann knows that she's a looker, she's heard many people phrase her because of that, but she doesn't think that this is enough for Marco to go on his way to help her or be nice or get close to her.

"It's not that unbelievable, yoi."

"It is. For someone like you."

"Someone like me, yoi?"

"I mean, you're Marco Newgate - "

"So, you know who I am." Ann wants to slam her head on the car window for saying that. She's deliberately blowing her cover by saying she knew who he is.

"Well, that name is famous and you said you own the bar, so that means you are Marco Newgate." She prays that it's enough to make him less suspicious of her. Her mouth sometimes needs to stop opening before her brain can think.

The car stops in front of the traffic light, so Marco has the chance to look at her properly, much to her discomfort.

"I still don't think me being _Marco Newgate_ has anything to do with being attracted to you, yoi." Their eyes never left each other. Ann almost feels as if she's drowning in those blue eyes of his. It's as blue as the ocean, expressive and filled with sincerity.

At the back of her mind, she reminds herself not to get carried away by his facade as this might be fake, but her instincts are screaming at her to allow this to happen.

But now that she thinks about it, maybe she can use this to get her hands on information that none of the Whitebeard family members give away easily. It will be dangerous, but if she can use Marco to her advantage, maybe she'll finally get her revenge.

"You have a bad taste, then." She jokes that earns her a chuckle from Marco who's now starting the car as soon as the green light is lit.

"No, I don't, yoi. I'd say I have a fantastic taste."

"But technically, you're my boss."

"Are you trying to find a fault in everything, yoi?" Marco chuckles because here he is, trying to convince her that he's attracted to her but she finds every possible reason that could refute that. "Look, if you're uncomfortable, just be honest with me. It's not like I am forcing you to go out with me just because I said I am attracted to you."

His eyes are sincere, staring at them made Ann feels as if looking at the deep ocean. They hold deeper meaning, emotions, but their tranquility balances everything. Then, she feels her heart quicken.

"I just can't believe it." She's surprised with her honesty.

"I guess, it's up to me to make you believe it, yeah?" She doesn't answer and he didn't insist on it. The traffic is heavier than they thought, so they are stuck in the middle of the road when Marco opens a new conversation. "How long have you been a mechanic, yoi?"

"Curious?"

"Let's just say that I want to get to know you." Ann smiles plainly. It won't hurt to tell him what most people knew anyway.

"Years. Since I was 21, I think? But I've been interested in machines since I was a child."

"Why did you become a singer if you can be a mechanic? There are a lot of companies that you apply to."

"They don't want it if you don't have a degree. Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish my degree." That's been her story ever since. It won't expose who she is by telling him all of these, anyway.

"Quite a shame since you're quite knowledgeable about machines. Why not try applying for a job? I know a company that doesn't discriminate even if you didn't get a degree."

"Are you trying to win me over by offering me your connections? Let me guess, you're going to call that company and tell them to hire me and since it's you, they will do it without a hitch." She disdains, raising her voice a little.

"Hey, no, I don't mean that, okay? I'm just saying that you might want to apply to that company, and no, I'm not going to tell them to hire you without testing your skills first. I don't want to insult you, yoi."

Ann somehow feels a little guilty for raising her voice earlier.

"Why are you telling me that, anyway?"

"Don't you want a job that you are passionate about?" He fires back.

"Yes, but the fee in the bar is quite satisfying."

"Yes, and you're getting stalkers as a result, yoi. Just think about it. Here, just in case you want to apply." He gives him a calling card. Newgate Motors.

"This belongs to your family, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I don't personally manage that. The decision will fall to the director, not me, yoi. Don't worry, I won't be telling them anything, okay?"

"I'll think about it." She puts the card in her pockets. For now, she needs to think things thoroughly if she is going to put Marco to use and how she's going to execute it.

The car stops in front of Ann's shop, so she takes the seatbelt off.

"Thanks for the ride. Take care!"

"You as well, yoi. And think about it, okay? I think you would like the environment there."

"Pretty insistent, aren't we?" She smirks. "But I will think about it, okay?" With a nod, Marco left the vicinity.

Inside her room, Ann keeps on staring at the business card, nodding, still in deep thoughts. She avoided a full-time job because she knows there will be times that she will be injured. At least, with her cover, she doesn't need to worry about that.

But on second thought, this can be useful. All she has to do is to be a part-time employee.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

Her footsteps echo in the familiar area. It's been years since she's been here.

Sab, or rather, Blue, is on her way to meet Eustass Kidd in his territory. It's the Southern Part of Grandline, more than an hour away from the Mainland where Sab is.

This city is where she used to stay, where she met him, where everything started...

_Sab is walking back to a rundown apartment not too far from the university when she noticed the tracks of blood on the road. It's 40 minutes past 9 PM and at this time, many people from the underground world are roaming the area._

_In such a remote place, it is not recommended to be out in the streets when anything could happen._

_Sab can hear the shouts of men not too far from where she is._

_"Find him! That bastard is going to pay for taking over our territory!" Sab is quick to hide in an alley while she watches the men run around in search of whoever it was._

_She shrugs this off. Such a common occurrence cannot faze her at all unless the person they are looking for is her sisters. But since it is not, she could care less about this person at all._

_She stops in her tracks when she noticed someone lying beside the wall of her shabby apartment. With careful steps, she approaches whoever it is. Her eyes went as wide as saucers when she saw the man bloody, clutching on his stomach. He either got shot or stabbed._

_"Hey?" She reaches to tap his shoulder but his hand instantly grabbed her arm with a strength that made her wince._

_"If you shout for those bastards chasing after me, you will be dead along with me." He took his gun out using his free hand to warn her._

_"You barely have the strength to fight back anyway." She disdains, making him frown. It's dark in this part, so they can't see each other clearly._

_"I have enough strength to kill you, though. Just one pull." Sab rolled her eyes at the man. Just when she was about to retort, she hears voices. It seems the people chasing after this man are getting closer. "Ughh, gotta leave now - " Yet he falls on the ground. His injuries are preventing him from moving as he desires._

_She could have left him here but if the men chasing this guy arrives in her apartment, they might think that she is an accomplice. She doesn't want to get dragged into a situation like that._

_"You're about to pass out."_

_"Nice catch, sherlock!" His sarcasm is getting to her._

_"Be nice and stay there." She left him to open her apartment. Inside, she takes a comforter out of her linen cabinet and laid it right beside the man. "Get in there."_

_"What?"_

_"Get in the comforter and crawl towards my apartment. If you leave traces in front of the door, we're openly telling the people chasing after you that you're inside. So, get in there so you won't leave traces."_

_"And why would I do that?" Distrust in this situation is common, but Sab doesn't have much patience and time to persuade him to trust her._

_"It's either you get in there or you will be caught, then, you will be dead. Your choice."_

_The man is silent for about a minute before getting in the comforter. All the droplets of blood painted the white comforter red. As soon as he's settled, she drags him inside._

_"Take off your shirt and your boots."_

_"And why?"_

_"I'm going to use it so they will think you ran away to the alley. Come on, we do not have much time."_

_As soon as Sab got what she needs, she carefully squeezed the shirt to scatter the blood on the ground. With the boots soaked with blood, she tapped them on the ground, faking the traces for the man._

_She did this for half an hour to make sure that no one will think the injured man is inside her apartment. Coming back to her apartment, she half-expected the man to have lost consciousness, but to her surprise, he wasn't, even though his eyes are fluttering. It must have been his will power that forces him to stay awake._

_She drags him to the kitchen where she can safely open the lights to see his wounds. And as soon as it lights up, she looks down on him and was surprised to see one of the notorious Mafia leaders in town, Eustass Kidd._

_Ignoring this discovery, she kneels beside him, hands reaching out so she can remove his hands covering his wounds._

_"Let me see your wounds." A sigh left her when he refused to do so. "Do you want to die of blood loss? Or infection? Fine, have it your way. I will dispose of your remains in the river nearby."_

_That seems to have worked as he slowly removes his hands. Sab winces when she saw the stab on his stomach. It's a wonder how he is still alive._

_"That's a deep wound there. I'll clean this up." Years of training in Baltigo taught her enough how to treat wounds like this. Had it been a gunshot, it would be difficult for her to remove it without the necessary tools._

_The man is intensely watching her movement, still suspicious. Anyone would be. But Sab didn't let that affect her. With precision, she managed to clean the wounds until the man lost consciousness because of the blood loss._

_For a moment, she contemplated whether to move him from this spot or not. The red-haired man is tall with muscles that indicate he works out regularly. If she tries to move him, she might risk getting the wound open up again._

_She decided to leave him on the floor and just in time, she heard voices of the men chasing after this guy on her kitchen floor. While assessing the situation, she can feel the headache creeping in her head. She should know not to stick her nose to where it doesn't belong._

_===XXX===XXX===XXX===_

_Kidd woke up feeling the dull ache on his stomach. Memories came crashing down at him. Looking around, he felt cautious. He grew up knowing people will help him when they need something in return unless they're the people who had been with him for a long time and he trusts._

_In this world, give and take. If you have nothing to give, you will only find your back against the wall with no way to run in, so it baffles him why the woman helped him at all. Is she after compensation? Is she going to blackmail him about this? Is she working with one of his enemies?_

_Many thoughts pass by Eustass Kidd's mind while slowly getting up from his position. His wound still hurts, but he can manage. It may slow him down when the worst situation arises, but at least he won't go down without a fight._

_With careful steps, he approaches the small living room. If he's being honest, this small apartment resembles a rat's nest than a human living inside. He wonders how a woman can live under this house at all. The door latches are rusty, the floor has several cracks that need to be fixed, the furniture in the house is mismatched - overall, the house is shitty._

_Looking around, he sees no picture frames at all. When he steps into the living room, the small coffee table is filled with books on top, and there, on the couch is the woman who helped him. She's sleeping peacefully with an open book on top of her._

_Taking a closer look at her, Kidd realizes that she looks like a sleeping angel. Her blonde hair looks messy but, it didn't lessen her beauty at all. Her nose is prominent, her lips may be chappy but it's tinged with a natural pinkish hue that makes it look kissable._

_Kidd shakes his head as he realizes that he's creepily staring at the woman._

_'What the fuck is wrong with you?' He chastised himself. This is not the first time he's seen a beautiful woman. He's seen a lot of them and most of the time, they're either horny or a vixen, whichever it is she is categorized at._

_When he steps to the front door, she stirs awake, startled that Kidd is awake. The book on top of her fell off the floor and now that Kidd takes a closer look, it's a book about laws and jurisdiction._

_'A lawyer, huh?' He muses to himself._

_"You're awake. Is your wound still hurting?"_

_"It hurts like shit, what do you expect about a stab?"_

_The woman rolls her eyes at him._

_"Then, you can go now. Don't come back."_

_"Don't worry, I won't, but before I go, I need to know who you are. Why did you help me?" Kidd knows enough that civilians do not just offer help to those who are obviously in the underground world. They know enough when to steer clear of instances where it could endanger them but this woman went through the troubles of saving Kidd's life._

_And what's even more suspicious is the fact that she thought of a way to make sure to prevent traces that can lead the men chasing Kidd to know that he's in this shabby house._

_She's too calm as if she had been in situations like these. At one point, Kidd thought that this woman is an assassin._

_"My name is Sab Regor. Law student. As for why I helped you, I don't want those people to inconvenience me. If they found that you were right beside my house, they might search here and kill me. So, I have no choice to help you." She smiles sarcastically which irks Kidd._

_"A Law student, huh? And living in this kind of house?"_

_"If you're just going to insult my apartment, then leave. Don't come back, whoever you are."_

_"Tsk! I had thought that women like you will want a payment after what you did."_

_"Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not most women you knew. I don't need your money when I can earn it someday. So, leave."_

_"How did you learn to treat wounds like mine?"_

_"What is this? An interrogation? Shouldn't I be the one asking questions given I saved your life and let you hide in my house?" She stands in front of Kidd but her height is not enough to level their eyes. With Kidd's 6'4 figure, she only reaches his shoulder level._

_"Why don't you answer my question?"_

_"Why don't you just leave? I have no time to waste with someone like you. I have books to finish." She turns her back on him to continue whatever she was reading, leaving Kidd standing there like a fool._

_All his life, women flock to him like moths drawn to the light, but here he is, being ignored. Huffing in annoyance, he decides to just leave when all of a sudden, they heard a car stopping in front of the house. Kidd instantly looks at her but her expression tells him that she's also surprised._

_She immediately stands up, lifting the curtain enough just for her to see who was outside._

_"Are you sure that he disappeared? That should not be possible. Someone must have helped that bastard."_

_"That must be it. Search all houses nearby."_

_The woman named Sab looks at Kidd, worried._

_"You have to hide. Come!" She grabbed his arm and led him to the kitchen. On her way, she took the comforter stained with his blood before lifting the doormat near the kitchen sink. Kidd is surprised to see a latch door. "This is a storage area. You have to hide here - " She was cut off when loud knocks echoed._

_"Shit." Kidd can only curse. Left with no choice, he went inside the underground storage area of the house. It's just large enough for two people with nothing but old tools inside. The light from the kitchen seeps through the cracks of the door._

_Sab places the doormat back before ruffling her hair, messing it up to make it look like she was sleeping. On her way to the door, she grabs her book to make everything look believable._

_"Y-Yes?" She yawns, eyes blinking at the people in front of her house. "How can I help you?" She yawns again, looking at them with an observant eye._

_As soon as they saw her, their eyes instantly lit up._

_"Are you alone?"_

_"Yes. Why? Who are you?"_

_"Didn't you notice the blood right beside your house? Did you see anyone here last night?" Sab wants to kick the hell out of them already when the two men stepped closer to her, further invading her space._

_"No. I fell asleep pretty early last night and woke up at dawn to study." She lifts her book to show them._

_"I see. Do you mind if we look in your house?"_

_Her heart races when they asked that. Yes, it was a question but she knows better what they are implying. They are not giving her any choice._

_"I'm not really fond of inviting strangers in my house, but yeah, go ahead. You don't mind if I leave the door open, right?"_

_"We prefer to have it closed, you see. You may never know..." One of them leans closer. "We could have fun."_

_She sighs, irritated. The urge to kick their balls is growing stronger. Had this been at night and there is no one around, she would beat the hell out of them._

_"Don't you know that we have laws here in Grandline? If I deny you entry into my private space, and you forced your way in, that's an invasion of privacy that is punishable with at least 2 years imprisonment. You can pay to be released, but I can file a restraining order against you."_

_If she can't beat them using her fist, she will beat them using words hoping they will listen. She doesn't want any trouble and unwanted attention while she's preparing for her career._

_One of the men was about to retort when one of their companions called them out so they can leave the area. They just nodded and leave her be, slightly disappointed that they cannot have fun with her. That made her roll her eyes at them._

_'Men...' She inwardly disdains as she closes the door, but before she can completely close it, she heard the men's words._

_"Survey the area. That bastard should be hiding somewhere. We checked the CCTVs in the area. There's no trace of him so someone must have been hiding him."_

_'Ugh, this is going to be a pain in the ass.' Sab sighs, regretting why she got herself involved with Eustass Kidd._

_With the people chasing after him still wandering, Sab had no choice but to let Kidd stay in her house in the meantime._

_"In this shitty apartment?" He asks when she told him that they have no choice but to stay here. "Why stay when I can call my men to pick me up? Do you want to keep me here?" He smirks suggestively that made Sab scrunch her nose in disgust._

_"You think I want to have you here? Dream on, bastard. Yes, that's the best option, your men can pick you up anytime, but what will happen to me if they found out I was hiding you? They're going to kill me."_

_Kidd didn't answer for a moment. His eyes carefully assessed her words which makes sense, but for some reason, he didn't sense any fear in her words. It's as if she's saying it with inconvenience in mind as if it's nothing but a chore instead of danger._

_'She's not an ordinary woman' he told himself._

_"Fine. But I will let my right-hand man know."_

_This starts their cohabitation until his wounds heal and the men chasing after him are not in the area. Kidd will be sleeping on the folding couch which he can expand to fit himself, but even if it's expanded, he's too tall to fit in the small folding couch in the living room._

_"You're studying even while eating?" One time, Kidd asks during their breakfast which she prepared._

_"I have to. The exam is near."_

_"When?"_

_"Next week." She answered._

_It's been three days since he started temporarily living here. The only one he told about his whereabouts is Killer. With the group from Kaido constantly targeting him, he needs to be careful in case he planted spies in his group._

_"The men chasing after you should no longer be there. I think it will be fine if you leave already." Killer said to Kidd one day when he called him._

_"Did you find out those fuckers?"_

_"I did. We're going to give them a chase as soon as you're back."_

_"Good," Kidd said._

_"You didn't answer me."_

_"What?" He's confused as to what Killer was talking about._

_"Leaving. Kidd, you've been there for three days already."_

_"My wounds are still not healed. Also, the men could still be around. I can't leave her just like that."_

_There's a moment of silence before he hears Killer sigh._

_"Didn't it occur to you that she could be part of the streets? From what you told me, she's smart enough to know you're a Mafia member, why keep you there? What if she's conspiring with our enemies to finally kill you?"_

_Kidd almost laughed._

_"If she wants to kill me, she would have done it when I was unconscious."_

_"What if she wants to extract information from you?"_

_"She would have asked about it, but it's odd. She never asked anything." That's puzzling him. When you're with strangers that can obviously endanger you, people tend to ask questions to either satisfy their curiosity or to prepare for the worse. But she never did._

_"You're unnecessarily concerned with her. You're just using your wound to stay there, aren't you? Don't tell me you're sleeping with her?"_

_"Me?! With her?! HAHAHA! You're hilarious. Of course not, idiot!"_

_"Fine, if you say so. But a week should be enough to get you out of that town and your wounds should be healed enough." That sounds like an ultimatum from him. "You're whining about a small stab wound when you've been through worse. That's suspicious."_

_"What?!"_

_"Nothing. Enjoy your stay there while it lasts."_

_And that ends their call._

_On his 5th day of stay in Sab's house, he's already used to the routine they have. She's a morning person who wakes at 6 in the morning whereas he's not. The first two days, he is constantly awakened by the smell of breakfast being she's preparing. With his nightly activities, it is given that he stays in his bed till late afternoon, but here, he is awakened by the woman constantly walking around the small house._

_He's intrigued by her. Of all the women he met, she's the only one who seems to get to his nerves. She's feisty, sarcastic, and her answers often led to them constantly bickering, refusing to give in._

_"Take your shirt off." She said._

_"Oh? Want to see my body that much?" He teases her, enjoying her expressions._

_"I don't want to see your body. I just need to check the wound. I think it's healed enough for you to leave."_

_That shook him a little. With silence engulfing them, he took the shirt off, letting her check the wound. He can't help but stare._

_"Should be good enough for you to leave. I don't see any men hanging around, so you can ask your people to pick you up." Sab stood up after checking the wound. Their eyes meet, and that's when Kidd realized that he should have expected this to happen._

_'What the fuck is wrong with me?' He asked himself when he felt the tinge of disappointment in him._

_"You're right. I will call them." And when he did, it surprised Killer._

_"I thought you still wanted to stay there for longer," Killer said. They're now inside the car. Only the trusted officers came to ensure that no one will leak this information._

_"Why would I stay there, idiot?" The blond right-hand man shrugs before changing the topic._

_"We did a background check on her."_

_"Huh?!" Kidd's ears perked up as soon as he heard it. "I didn't ask you to do that, did I?"_

_"You didn't, but I felt like we must. She's an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. She's a law student, the best in history from what we gathered. Sabrina Regor, 22 years old, accelerated several times, skipping levels, and currently a future lawyer. You better steer clear of her. Lawyers are bad news."_

_Kidd just shook his head and he signals Wire to start the car. Killer's warning fell to deaf ears._

_But maybe, he should have listened._

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I figured I have to add the flashbacks for Sab and Kidd. :))
> 
> And for Luffia and Zoro when the time is right.
> 
> IRL is getting busier, but I will try my best to update as frequent as I can


	16. Suspicions

_Sab is relieved as soon as Eustass Kidd left her house. With him around, she cannot do anything but be cautious in case he decides to snoop around. This house is her front, this is where most of her classmates know she lives and in her school records as well._

_"Are you going to move tonight?" Koala's voice rings in her ears as she prepares herself to leave._

_"Yes." Her mission tonight involves capturing evidence against the World Government about the recent drug deals in the Souther part of Grandline._

_"I thought your cohabitation will last longer."_

_"It's not cohabitation. Stop, okay?" Koala's been teasing her non-stop about her situation with Eustass Kidd. "It's not like I'm going to see that person again."_

_"The street is a small world. You are bound to see him one way or another."_

_It sounds like a jinx when Sab heard that and she curses when the Koala's words came true because, in one of her part-time jobs, she crossed paths with him again._

_She doesn't need the part-time job in a convenience store, but to put up the front of a poor scholar law student, she has to, at least thrice a week and it just so happens that his group dropped by in the convenience store to buy drinks._

_Why they chose to go to a convenience store, she has no idea. She reckons that they must be in the area. But if they are going to buy something, why this convenience store? For the love of all things, why this convenience store when they can choose others nearby?_

_Sab specifically chose one of the remote stores to work just so she can avoid being seen._

_"Ahiru, take the registry, please. I have to pile the stocks at the back." She called one of her co-workers to replace her at the counter so she can avoid the hell out of him._

_"In 15 minutes, Sab. Let me just finish the inventory real quick!" Ahiru, a student part-timer answered. She's been working here for about a year, just like Sab, she's part of the Revolutionary Army and currently a medical student, an orphan who works part-time in this shabby convenience store._

_She had the guts to wink at Sab, clever enough to know why she wants an out in the cashier area because the next customer in line is none other than Kidd Eustass._

_'I will Koala for this' she thought to herself. Her best friend must have spread the word in their group, and now, all of them are ganging up against her._

_"Oi, hurry up!" Sab looks up only to see the tall figure of Kidd looming over one of the customers in front of him. The poor man in glasses scurried off to put all of his stuff at the counter, bowing at Kidd._

_"I-I will, sorry! Sorry!" The poor man is scared because just one look and anyone will know that Kidd and the men he's with are part of the streets._

_"Wait in line and don't scare other customers, Mr. Customer." Sab said, glaring at him before scanning the items._

_"Uhm, Miss, it's okay. It's okay - " Sab ignored the man in front of her._

_"That will be 190." She said and the man gave her the exact amount before bolting out of the door._

_Next is Kidd who placed a few items on the counter - a few rolls of duct tape, alcohol, and a few beverages._

_"Even your workplace is shabby." Sab stopped scanning to look up to him._

_"Didn't ask for your opinion, did I?" Then she continues._

_"I never liked that smart mouth of yours." He said. Sab was about to answer when they heard gunshots from outside. As if on instinct, they all got down, taking cover from the raining bullets directed at the convenience store._

_"Fuckers! Killer, call the men!" Kidd shouted, then another series of bullets were shot. "Shit!"_

_"Kidd! The heck! Take cover!"_

_Sab does not know what is going on outside, but from what she can gather, one of them might have been injured._

_"This is nothing. Go, get the men and chase kill those fuckers!"_

_The bullets stopped after about 15 minutes, then Sab heard the door of the store opening. She took a peek and saw a few of Kidd's men are running outside, guns are out, and chasing after the people who fired at them._

_When she looks down, she saw Kidd with blood on his arm._

_"Did you get injured again?" She asks._

_"It's just a scratch."_

_Seeing him injured, she didn't hesitate to check on the wound. Unlike the previous injury he had, it's just a scratch indeed._

_"We will pay for the damages here." That was the last thing he said before taking one of his men outside. And just like that, gunshots were heard from the distance. Sab is looking at the damaged convenience store and sighed._

_A week after that incident, true to his words, he came back to pay for the repairs of the convenience store._

_"They have insurance, we don't have to pay for this." A man named Killer grumbled from the side. "We're not even the ones who fired those guns."_

_"They're directed at you, though." Sab never failed to talk back. Why would she anyway?_

_"Here." Kidd gave her a stack of cash. "I placed extra in exchange for the security cameras recording."_

_"I knew you would want those. Fine. I'll get it." Sab led them to the management room of the convenience store and took the data they need._

_"You seem to be very familiar with this."_

_"Many people like you came here asking for the security camera recordings. This is a remote place after all and most people passing by are part of your world. They will pay for the recordings, and that's it." There's no need to lie because this convenience store is not the only one getting money out of these kinds of transactions._

_"Hmm... There's a vacant building at the back of the convenience store. Who's the owner of that building?" Kidd asked._

_"Why do you ask?"_

_"We're going to take it as one of our base here. We took over the area from those fuckers. Just took a lot of time to finally clean their shit." Kidd smirked, satisfied that he was able to get rid of the local Mafia group ruling these parts. Now, it's his._

_"Why that area? Can't you choose somewhere else?"_

_"She's right. Choose somewhere else, Kidd. Not here."_

_"I want it here." Kidd is looking at her with amusement in his eyes. He knows that he's getting into her nerves and he loves the reactions coming from her eyes. "If I ever get injured, I will just call you."_

_"I am not your personal doctor." What Sab got was just a burst of laughter._

_From then on, just like he said, he took the building at the far back of the convenience store. For weeks, Sab didn't see many customers coming to the store because people knew that a Mafia Group is using the building next to it. The only ones who buy in the store are the residents nearby, but even then, the purchase is minimal._

_For weeks, Sab let it be, figuring that they will have less work, but what didn't appreciate is that Kidd keeps coming back to the store at midnight before closing, striking a conversation with Sab, or more like pissing her off. The more he is seen in the store, the more they are losing money._

_One time, Sab had enough of it. She stormed off to the next building, disregarding all armed men who were looking at her with shocked expressions._

_"Where's your boss?" She asked, no, demanded._

_"Uh, inside." One of the men said. "Uhm, it might not be a good idea to see him since - "_

_Sab didn't let him finish, opting to walk inside as if it is her own. She's about to shout at Kidd when she saw him being attended by his trusted men._

_"What happened?"_

_"Hey, Sab. Did you miss me?" Kidd manages to pull off the usual flirty attitude with her even at his state._

_"Did you get injured again?! How many times does that make it this month?"_

_"It's lessened compared to before. I used to get injured every day." Kidd answered. "What, worried about me? Did you hear I got injured and run off because you care?"_

_Sab rolled her eyes at him. It's always like this._

_"Why don't you call a doctor instead of tending to the wounds like quack doctors? Not even one of you knows how to stitch a cut?" She sounds like a mother hen as she points to the 6-footer men around her._

_"The last doctor we called were hired to poison us. So, no thanks." Kidd shrugged. There's a doctor who will treat anyone, but the price is high. The Surgeon of Death. There's no way that he will ask him to drop by for a small cut._

_Sab sighed._

_"Let me check that wound."_

_"You're going to treat me again, huh?" Kidd sounds so happy._

_"I can't stand how shitty this dressing is! And by the way, I came here to tell you to stop coming to the store."_

_"Why?"_

_Sab took the medical supplies they had, ignoring the looks coming from the people around._

_"Because you are a nuisance!" She slammed the box in front of Kidd, almost hitting his foot. "Don't you know how many customers we lost because you kept showing up there? Have some decency to hide that you're part of a Mafia group! You look like you're inviting your enemies to kill you and attack you in our convenience store." While she was nagging, she treated the small cut on his arm._

_Her hands never stopped even while she's talking._

_"Ah, ouch! Can't you be gentler?! Damn it!"_

_"I thought this is a small wound for a big guy like you?!" She purposely pressed the wound, making Kidd wince. "Stay still!"_

_"Why the fuck are you so rough to an injured person?!"_

_His complaints fell to deaf ears as Sab stitched the open wound with less gentleness than he was asking. When done, she stands up to tell him off again. "Stop coming to the store, you got it?!"_

_"Oi, I'm a customer. Where do you go off telling a precious customer like me to never come back there?"_

_She stormed off as soon as she said that, ignoring the calls from Kidd._

_True, he didn't come back to the store, at least not where it's visibly seen from other people. Instead, he used the backdoor to constantly pester Sab._

_It had become a regular occurrence that she grew used to when she drops in the convenience store to work only to find Kidd sitting comfortably at their mini-office, waiting for him._

_And at some point, his men started referring to her as Lady Boss even though they are not dating._

_Because of how it is publicly known that his base is right next to the convenience store, Sab began seeing World Government agents constantly in disguise while they drop in the store. Their eyes are on Eustass Kidd, a very infamous Mafia leader._

_"You know the Mafia Group behind this building, don't you?" Sab stopped in her tracks on her way out of the part-time job. There's an alley where one of the Agents is waiting for her._

_"They used it as a base." She answered straightforwardly._

_"Anything else you want to tell us?" The man took out a gun, a threat to her that almost made her scoff._

_"Nothing more than them disrupting the store I am in."_

_"Brave, aren't you? Why not be a spy for us? Get as much - "_

_"If there's one thing I learned from living here is that accepting the role of a spy will likely get me killed, so you can ask others, but I humbly decline. I am busy with my job interview as it is." With that, she walked away. Thank goodness that no one followed her._

_Since that encounter, she's been on high alert and even investigated as to who the instigators could be._

_She found nothing but pieces of evidence pointing to the World Government, but why would they even fixate themselves to Kidd Eustass?_

_With her connections, she somehow found out about the secret raid that the World Government will do against Kidd Eustass. No wonder the agents were approaching her._

_The night before the raid, she sneaked into Kidd's lair, careful not to alert any of his men. There's still a possibility that one of them is a spy._

_The building at the back of the convenience store has been renovated so there is plenty of room to sleep and be used by the elite members. Sab is very careful while using the fire exit to navigate her way to Kidd's room. She's been in here several times that she knows the building at the back of her mind._

_It was fairly easy because she knows where the CCTV cameras are._

_With careful hands, she approached Kidd who is sleeping on his King-sized bed but before her hands can reach him, he suddenly grabbed her hand using his right hand while the other went straight to her neck._

_"You..." Even with the dim lighting of the room, Kidd recognized her._

_"Get your hand off my neck. Are you trying to kill me?" She hissed in a whispered tone and he did._

_"What are you doing here, sneaking into my bedroom in this hour?" The volume of his voice matches hers. He may have taken off his left hand off her neck, but not the one on her arm._

_"I came here to warn you."_

_"Warn me about what?"_

_"World Government agents are on your trail. They approached me one time to get information from you. They're going to raid this place tomorrow, you have to be careful."_

_Surprisingly, Kidd scoffed at her words._

_"You came to warn me about that, going as far as sneaking like an assassin?"_

_"Look, I know you're doubtful about my intention, but I have no choice but to sneak into your room. If one of your men is a spy, they will alert the World Government, then, they will be after me as well." Sab explained. For some reason, Kidd's smile remains._

_"Heh~"_

_She blinks but before she can ask what he finds funny, he dragged her on top of him so she's sitting on his lap._

_"What - "_

_"Worried about me, Sab?" His face is too close for comfort._

_"I - "_

_"Speechless, aren't we?" He leaned closer, their faces are a few centimeters away. "I've known, though. About the raid. We have our means of getting information."_

_"If you knew, then why are you still here?"_

_"Simple, to dish out those that are spies in the group. World Government won't launch a frontal attack against us. They don't have enough resources to do it."_

_Sab thought so as well, but against the better judgment, she went through the trouble of sneaking here to inform him alone._

_"If you knew, then my purpose here is done." She attempted to push him off her but his hands are firmly wrapped on her waist refusing to let go no matter what._

_"You still haven't explained yourself. Sneaking here, effortless if I may say so, just to tell me. Worried, aren't we? Hmm?" He's teasing her and she hates it. She hates how her cheeks are getting warmer just by the proximity of his face to hers or the way she can smell his breath._

_"I am not."_

_"Uh-huh~"_

_"Let go - "_

_"Nope, not until you tell me why." Sab is pouting because he still won't let her go. Talk about stubbornness here._

_"Just because. I did it just because."_

_"Alright." Sab thought that he will let her go now yet he didn't. His next actions made her wide-eyed. He pulled her closer, claiming her lips and even taking the opportunity of her surprised gasp to plunge his tongue inside, coaxing her to respond to the heated kiss._

_"Hmp - " Sab is losing the battle, slowly letting herself fall into the temptation that he brought to her._

_Kidd hummed in satisfaction when he felt her lips moving to match his. The moans that escaped her throat are just making him feel more excited than he already is. He gotta admit it, he's been attracted to her the first time they met. There's something in her that he cannot explain._

_He knows there's a mystery surrounding her, but that doesn't matter, does it? She's here, risking her life just to warn him._

_The kiss stops when they heard footsteps from the hallway._

_"Wait, I have to go now. No one is supposed to see me here - Kidd!" Sab hissed when she felt him suck on her neck, leaving a few kiss marks on her skin. His hot lips never stop, constantly discovering a few sensitive spots._

_"Hmm, nope~" Kidd mischievously smirks, bringing their lips together for another heated kiss which she accepted despite the hesitation. While they succumb to the feeling of each other's lips, the door slammed open, revealing Killer and Wire at the door, staring at them._

_Sab was quick to get off Kidd's lap, pushing him on his bed._

_"Oh, my~" Wire was the first one to react._

_"Tsk! Get out!" Kidd waved his hands at them._

_"Kidd... You... and her..."_

_"Yeah, yeah, yeah, get out already." Wire dragged a reluctant Killer out of the room before locking it. As soon as they're alone, Sab wanted to scream from the embarrassment but decided not to. "Hey, where are you going?"_

_"Leaving." She answered._

_"Not interested in continuing where we left off?" Kidd got off his bed and just made her realize that he's wearing nothing but boxers._

_"N-No."_

_"You sound reluctant." Once again, Kidd wrapped his arms around her waist._

_"Look, I have to go."_

_"That's a bit of a shame. Stay for a while. Just a few minutes." His whisper sounds hoarse, seductive, and tempting the hell out of her. When he leans in for another kiss, she didn't resist this time, she lets it be, even going as far as automatically wrapping her arms on his shoulders._

_Sab only stayed there for about 15 minutes, making out with Kidd before leaving._

_That was the start of their secret relationship. Kidd stopped going to the convenience store and neither does she visit him anymore, at least, not where all of his men can see._

_They had rendezvous from time to time. Only his most trusted men knew about them._

_"I don't trust her." Killer keeps reminding Kidd about this whenever he meets Sab._

_"Killer - "_

_"No. Just it doesn't feel right. Come on, Kidd, don't tell me you're not wondering how the hell she sneaked into our basement without being detected? Did you ever wonder how she managed to know about that raid? Or the times when she's missing and you can't even contact her?"_

_"She's busy with her job interviews and her graduation upcoming, ah, that reminds me I still haven't chosen a gift."_

_Kidd never listened, not even once. It's not like he does not wonder about it, but he chose to trust her._

_And that led him to his downfall._

(Flashback - To be continued)

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

SHP Group of Companies, a rising Group in the business world known for its _unique_ methods and strategies. Where common sense is not applied at all. Their strategies left companies in bewilderment, yet they produce profits like no one's business.

It's a business that emerged out of nowhere 4 years ago. They started buying stocks from companies that almost hit bankruptcy. From then, they started taking over the companies one by one and bringing profits by doing so.

And the person leading this company is none other than Nami Mikan, a well-known financial mogul. Anything money-related and she turns them into gold.

Recently, they started investing in the Medical field with the help of Doctor Tony Chopper.

And the shipping and logistics company is being led by Franky.

Those three were the top Executives of the company, or at least that's what everyone thought about.

Little did they know that the real owner of the SHP Group of companies is the infamous Mafia Leader, known as the 5th Emperor, Strawhat.

There's an ongoing debate if Strawhat should be named as '5th Emperor' when clearly, there's Marshall D. Teach to consider, but most of the people argued that Marshall D. Teach is leading a group of terrorists rather than a Mafia Group, a group of killers and assassins. While they might be part of the underground world, their means of business involves deaths rather than earning a territory or money.

As for the other officers of the Strawhat group, their names are tied to Mafia members from Grandline, hence, they cannot publicly announce their membership in the company. They are bent on keeping the company as Mafia relation-free as possible.

Sanji's real name is Vinsmoke Sanji, the third son of the Vinsmoke Group. Even if he will legally change his name to reflect that of Zeff's - his adoptive father - it still won't do as Zeff himself used to be a leader of a Mafia Group before retiring.

Usopp is another case. His father is one of the executives in Akagami Mafia Group.

Robin, a known criminal, can't be in the legal papers. They will only attract the attention of enemies.

And finally, Luffia. Technically, she can be part of the company as she has no ties to the Mafia Group outside of Strawhat, but she chose not to.

"I just don't wanna. I like my part-time job. Shishishi!" She explained nothing about it, so Nami just let her be. She will be called when something major happens anyway.

Right now, everything is going as smoothly as they expected... Or not.

Nami's been frowning while looking at the files in front of her. She's at the executive office of the company building at the moment.

"Why do you look so stressed?" Robin asks. She and the other members of the Strawhat group can use the secret elevator that Franky built for them when getting inside the building.

"Those people. I still can't get any information about them."

"You mean the people who ambushed us?"

"Yes. Did you get anything about the group? They are no doubt World Government Agents, but I don't understand why they would send a group after us."

"They are sensing the danger that we can bring to the balance of Grandline." Robin answered before sipping on her tea. "The balance is fragile, one group may fall anytime."

"I know that but why us? They could have chosen other groups that they can easily eliminate."

"It's the same reason why they want to eliminate us now. They are preventing us from growing more than we already do. Think about it, Luffia's rise to her fame is short compared to other Emperors. Some of them took decades before they arrived at where they are, yet here she is, not even 4 years since she started, and she's already labeled as the 5th Emperor."

Success is welcome, but it doesn't mean that Nami the cons that come with it.

"We have to be careful about this group hunting us. They've been out in the streets, getting more information. We just need to find out who they are so we can attack them when they least expect it."

"About that... I've been wondering. One of the agents that attacked Luffia used swords."

"Swords? At this time and age? Really? Swords?" Nami scoffs, almost baffled at the thought.

"You may find it funny, but there are still less than 10 people using swords when they fight in close combat."

"And you're saying..."

"I am saying that we can narrow down the people who use swords in the streets. We can get a hint from there."

"Right... Any ideas?" Nami asked.

"The most famous ones are part of the Mafia Groups already. Vista from Whitebeard, Shiryuu from Blackbeard, Akagami, but it's almost impossible that they are the ones that attacked Luffia. They won't be working with the World Government just to eliminate our group when they can do it themselves."

Nami nodded, understanding the logic behind Robin's reasons.

"If that person is not part of the streets, it is possible that he's a trained agent."

"Ugh, this is giving me a headache." Nami massaged her temples. "And worse of all, Luffia just brushed this topic off when I brought it up!" She whined.

"Did she, now?"

"Yes! I called her last night, but she said not to be too concerned about that group and she said that we should just stop any means of investigation. Can you believe how happy-go-lucky she is?! That brat! Sometimes I wonder why I even followed her, ugh!"

Robin only chuckled at Nami's whining. This is not the first time that Luffia's easy-going decisions made them go mad, but for the first time, Robin is puzzled why Luffia explicitly instructed to stop the investigation.

Then, an idea came to her mind...

' _It can't be..._ '

But she didn't voice it out to Nami. If Luffia said not to be concerned, then, they must follow her. Although, Nami didn't do so as she still conducted her investigation.

' _She must be in a tough position now. To be in an unexpected situation with him..._ ' Robin thought to herself, amused by Luffia's reasoning.

If she's right with her assumptions, and she's usually right, then Luffia must have known who the group is, or specifically, who the person that injured her was.

**===XXX===XXX===XXX===**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Here's the chapter you all have been waiting for. I figured I have to cut the Flashback because their story is quite long, so I might add it again in the next chapter. I just have to insert a little bit of background about Luffia.
> 
> Also: I'm extremely busy with work and irl stuff. I can't make promises about when the next update will be. Most of the readers know that I update as much as I can. With that said, don't expect a weekly update from me, but I will still try to update another chapter this month.
> 
> Besides, I would rather not rush writing just for the sake of updating the story, it will compromise the quality. So please bear with me.


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